Of Love and Loathing
by Mademoiselle Satine
Summary: What is this feeling, so sudden and new? My heart is pounding, my head is spinning, and all I can think of is you... A Gelphie Booksical written by Mademoiselle Satine and Kirra White Tigress. Rated M for later chapters. Enjoy!
1. Beneath the Surface

_A/N: In order to post this on LJ, Kirra and I wanted to make sure that the content of each chapter matched in the OLAL here, and the OLAL on LJ. She rearranged the chapters, condensing my seven into five, although the content is the same. It seems a bit confusifying, but it's still the same content. ^_^_

_Enjoy!_

* * *

**Of Love and Loathing  
**_Mademoiselle Satine/Kirra White Tigress_

Elphaba pushed open the laboratory door, throwing a "Good night!" over her shoulder as she went. She strode quickly down the hall, glancing at her watch. 9:00. If she hurried, she should still have some time to study for her Ozian history quiz the following day. She stepped into the meadow that she used as a shortcut to the girl's dormitory, running her history facts through her mind. Thunder rumbled over her head, interrupting her thoughts. The green girl picked up the pace, donning her cloak in just enough time to shield the first raindrops from her sensitive skin. She hurried toward the brick building up ahead as lightning flashed above her.

**Galinda smiled to herself as she sat at her vanity, calmly brushing out her smooth, golden hair. She frowned a little at the impending storm, but chose to ignore it, and the smile gracefully returned. But then her actions faltered as her mind dared to stray toward darker thoughts. Naturally she hated storms because of their loudness, but now another factor had come into play--whenever the thunder rolled, it seemed to call her accursed roommate back to their dorm. The blonde rolled her eyes. Just when she thought she would be free from her for one moment…..**

Elphaba glanced at the second window up, two to the left. The light was on, signaling the undesirable presence of her dimwitted roommate. For a moment she actually considered braving the stinging rain to avoid Galinda's exasperating company, but reluctantly thought better of it. The rain intensified, angry thunder rolling across the sky. The girl pulled her cloak tighter around her shoulders, hurrying into the safety of the dormitory. She took as much time as reasonably possible trudging up the stairs to the second floor. She searched for any plausible reason to avoid returning to her room, but came up with nothing. Besides, curfew was fast approaching, and there was no way she would escape Madame Morrible's grasp if she disregarded _that_.

_I'll never forgive that over-inflated snob for rooming me with Miss Brainless Barbie. Is caring for one's sister simply too much to ask? _she thought darkly, shooting the door a glare that should have burned it to the ground. She sighed, entering the room and ignoring the frilly pink and blonde fuzz she saw out of the corner of her eye. She made a beeline for her desk. Hopefully she could lose herself in her studies before Galinda had a chance to open her mouth.

**The blonde paused the moment she heard the sound of the doorknob turning. That could only mean one thing…. She really had half a mind to hurl her hairbrush at her disgusting, green roomie the moment she walked through the door, but thought better of it--she was not too inclined to have to buy another one to replace it. So she stayed still, attempting to go back to her previous activities as Elphaba whirled into the room.**

**Her attempts, however, were futile. Seriously, how could one ignore someone who stuck out like a weed in the middle of a flower field? At that mental image, Galinda forced back an evil giggle and instead set her blue eyes upon the one she loathed so much. Sensing Elphaba's fury a mile away, she decided to break the code of silence settled between them. If not just out of pure boredom, then just to frazzle the girl a little more. **

**The blonde set her brush down and stretched. "Sorry, I think you're in the wrong place. The greenhouses are a little further down," she said, waving in the window's general direction.**

"Have you ever been away from that mirror long enough to ensure that it isn't a vital organ?" Elphaba shot back, not looking up from her book. "Maybe _you're_ the freak, with a mirror for a lung."

"**Oh, so the green creature dares to speak!" Galinda exclaimed, resting a hand against her heart in feigned shock. She turned around to face her roommate, albeit reluctantly, and stared at her like one would look through the glass that a trapped animal lay behind. "Not such a pretty thing, are you? Maybe your creators down at the lab messed up on their calculations. How terrible for you." **

"At least they didn't forget my brain."

"**By the rumors I've heard they added a little something **_**extra**_**." The blonde wrinkled her nose in disgust at the thought.**

"To you? …Superficiality?" the green girl asked innocently, still not looking up from her studies.

**Galinda stared at the green girl, her head tilted to the side just slightly in her rising confusion. "Come again?"**

"Shallowness? Insincerity? Showiness? Any of those ringing a bell?"

"_**Shallow??**_**" the blonde screeched, her fury reaching an all-time high. Her posture straightened almost immediately as she tried to look at least a little intimidating, her eyes flashing dangerously. "And you think you're any better, Miss Frog? With your sarcasm and so-called intelligence?"**

"At least my "so-called intelligence" extends beyond that vanity," Elphaba spat. She smiled inwardly. Secretly, she loved this. She loved how she could always get under the blonde's skin, no matter how calm and collected Galinda was at the beginning of the argument. Now she waited with an almost wicked anticipation for the hilarity that was Miss Galinda Upland's bad temper.

**Galinda opened her mouth to say something biting, something that would send her roommate reeling for an equal response… but she found that she came up short. Never before had she met someone so infuriating, much less someone who could murder her flawless reputation just by merely existing! But still… she couldn't help but feel something else towards these little arguments they had. It was something frustrating and irritating… yet it wasn't at the same time. She frowned as she wondered just what this feeling was….**

**And then she remembered just what she was in the middle of. Regaining at least a little bit of her resolve, she quickly fired back with, "Well… at least I'm not a green **_**freak!**_**" A pathetic response, she knew, but it was all her anger-clouded mind could think of.**

Elphaba had to bite her lip to keep from laughing out loud. Irritating as her roommate was, she most certainly wasn't boring.

"And I am equally fortunate not to be a blonde one," she replied casually.

She turned her full attention to her studies. As entertaining as disagreements were, she didn't have any more time for them. She needed to ace this quiz to keep herself at the top of her class.

**Galinda gasped, her blue eyes wide in offense. "Why you impertinent little--!"**

**A loud boom of thunder interrupted her, followed quickly by a blinding flash of lightning. The blonde involuntarily let out a shriek at the surprise, her body going rigid at the sudden turn nature was taking outside of their dorm. She had completely forgotten about it. Now she was trapped in this room with a girl who was slowly driving her to the edge of insanity, and with a storm that could very well tear the entire university apart.**

_**Stay calm,**_** she thought in an attempt to keep herself from crying.**_** At least the storm is temporary.**_

Elphaba jumped at the storm's sudden outburst, Galinda's shriek piercing her ears. She glanced over her shoulder at Galinda, who looked about ready to burst into tears. Sighing, Elphaba rose from her seat and pulled the curtains shut, then returned to her studying.

She told herself that she had closed the curtains so that she wouldn't get a migraine from all of Galinda's screaming. And she nearly believed it.

**Galinda watched in awe as the green girl quickly and almost calmly pulled the curtains closed, wondering how in Oz she could do such a thing. From the rumors she had heard for the past few weeks, Elphaba supposedly would melt away if she made contact with water in any way. How could she be brave enough to stand up to her natural enemy without flinching, even with a pane of glass serving as a barrier?**

_**Because she's stubborn and abnormal and a freak….**_

**There was another loud roll of thunder, which made the blonde whimper in her rising fear. This was just perfect, wasn't it? In order to get to her bed and at least attempt to get some rest, she would have to get up and move toward the window. Thus the already loud noises would become louder, throwing her deeper into despair…. She flinched upon hearing small and solid hit the window from the force of the wind. She supposed she would have to remain where she was for the night. How **_**wonderful….**_

Elphaba tried her hardest to study for her quiz, but she couldn't concentrate. Every now and again her roommate would make a small, frightened noise, and it seemed that the green girl had temporarily lost her sacred ability to tune her out. She glanced at the clock. She had been studying (or trying to) for an hour. It was still early, but she decided to catch up on her sleep.

Elphaba rose from her seat and headed to the bathroom to get ready for bed.**The blonde's eyes remained focused on the green girl, shivering slightly as she walked past where she sat. She struggled with herself, wondering what she was going to do. She could at least get ready for bed and attempt to go to sleep--that was the most she believed she could do. But…. Galinda hugged herself, trying to hold her tears back. The storms in Gillikin had never been this bad, and whenever she had trouble getting to sleep, there was always someone there to help her through the night. Now even **_**that**_** option wasn't available.**

_**Unless….**_

**Galinda cringed at the thought that crossed her mind, but she was too desperate to let it pass. Before the door to the bathroom had a chance to close, the blonde took in a breath and hurriedly asked, "Miss Elphaba, could you please help me?"**

Elphaba stopped in her tracks, hand still on the doorknob, resisting the urge to inspect her ears for anything to explain what she had just heard. Miss Galinda Upland, "Queen of Shiz", "Princess Bow Before Me", and "Socialite Extraordinaire", needed the help of the "Gangly Green Bean"? Elphaba shook her head, still shocked.

_Like I said, never boring._

"What do you need, Miss Galinda?" Elphaba replied with an even voice, trying her best to be prepared for any of the thousand things that could come out of her roommate's mouth.

**The blonde shifted slightly, her eyes darting away to look at something else before returning her gaze to the shock that was her roommate. Why did she even ask something like that? Surely she would be pushed to the side and be even further treated as a child by the green girl for this. But still…. She swallowed thickly, her sapphire eyes pleading with Elphaba even before she spoke. "I…. I-It's the storm. I'm terrified of them. And…." She paused, worrying at her bottom lip. The tears she tried so hard to force back suddenly leaked from the corners of her eyes. Finally she blurted, "I just want to feel safe again and I have no one else to turn to…."**

Elphaba blinked a few times in surprise. That was one thing she _hadn't_ been prepared for. If it had been a trap for another insult, or help by fetching another of her roommate's endless cosmetics, that she could have understood. But this…

She glanced up again at her roommate, even more shocked by what she saw. The tiny girl sat at her vanity, all traces of superiority gone. Little tears squeezed past her eyelids to leave rivulets down her face, and her bottom lip was caught between her perfectly white teeth. This was no joke. This was Galinda Upland, as an actual human being.

Elphaba took a tentative step forward, hesitated, then walked choppily to sit on the edge of Galinda's vanity. Her usual grace was left far behind, this situation was too awkward, and she moved as if fighting with herself for every step. She looked down at her hands, unable to meet her roommate's innocent gaze.

"What do you want me to do?" she said softly. She could not believe that she was doing this, actually _helping _the most popular girl in Shiz with an ego that extended to the moon…

**Galinda stared up at the green girl, astonished at how **_**willing**_** she was despite her reluctance, and at that very moment she discovered just how uncertain she was about the entire situation. She thought about changing her mind, of pushing Elphaba away and back to her rightful place, but then the lightning flashed with such a brilliance it seemingly slashed through the dark, thick curtains. Before she could hold herself back, the blonde grasped her roommate's wrist as if it were an anchor and buried her face into her arm. She began to tremble, the rain beating all the more fiercely against the window pane as the storm intensified.**

"**Stay with me," she whispered, feeling Elphaba's body stiffen at her touch. She tightened her grip in case she tried to bolt. "I don't know what to do…."**

Elphaba stared down, wide-eyed, at the mass of golden ringlets that had attached itself to her arm. Her entire body froze at Galinda's touch as an odd feeling flew through her. It only lasted for a fraction of a second, no longer than the flash of lightning that sent Galinda reeling in the first place. Frustratingly, the feeling did not last long enough for the green girl to dissect it and discover what it was. No one ever wanted to touch her; it was something she was not used to, so she chalked the strange sensation up to that.

A crash of thunder that made even Elphaba wince brought her back to reality. She was sitting on Galinda's vanity in the muddle of a storm, and the blonde was clinging to her arm like it was a lifeline.

"Stay with me," came the muffled whisper. "I don't know what to do…"

Elphaba didn't know what to do either. She opened her mouth a few times to speak, but words wouldn't come. Not that the girl would know what to say if they _did_ come. Instead, Elphaba raised her free hand about an inch off of the vanity, hesitating before bringing it up to rest lightly on blonde curls.

**At the feel of a hand lightly touch the back of her head--a touch just barely noticeable, and not due to the quantity of hair products she had used earlier that morning--Galinda sighed and pressed closer to the green girl. It was a perfect picture of abnormality; she knew without even looking at it clearly yet. The green freak comforting--or trying to comfort--the blonde beauty. It sounded oddly like a ruined storybook tale, with the exact opposite of what was expected happening, but she found herself not caring.**

**Several feelings were racing through her mind and heart, all of them difficult to discern. To her surprise, not one of them was linked to loathing. Frustration, yes, but that was centered at herself rather than Elphaba. Gratefulness, she supposed; she had never been grateful for another person being there for her. Especially not her roommate, who seemed so focused on other things. She sighed, at ease with identifying at least one of these swirling emotions. Now she had to figure out the other three million….**

**The thunder purred softly outside, as if content with the image of the two opposites finally together. Galinda fought the urge to curse it--it was better than the earlier roars that had terrified her so much. Still she held onto the green girl, her grip loosening slightly as to not perturb her, and she took in a breath. "Momsie would do this all the time," she softly confessed; maybe in doing this, Elphaba would stay with her longer. "When I was little and a storm came through, she would often hold me and sing to me until I fell asleep. I don't think I ever grew out of it." She flinched again at the flash of threatening lightning, and she fell silent.**

Elphaba swallowed thickly.

"I… don't really sing. Sorry," she mumbled. Galinda's hair was soft beneath her green hand, and her lips twitched just slightly with a near smile at the blonde's daintily contented sigh. It was strange… not ten minutes ago they were having it out like… well, like an egotistical princess and an inferior, green ogre.

Elphaba stroked Galinda's curls without even realizing what she was doing, lost in thought. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't hated her roommate _that_ much more than the default hatred she had for everyone. Sure, the blonde got under her skin from time to time, but it was worth it to watch her blow up when Elphaba said something clever.

The rain continued steadily, but the most recent growl of thunder seemed to be quieter, further off than the one before it. Elphaba snapped back to reality, eyes wide as she realized what exactly she was doing, what position she and her polar opposite were in. She cleared her throat, embarrassed, her cheeks flushing a dark green.

"Um, I think it's moving away now…" she muttered, trying to subtly wriggle out of Galinda's embrace.

**The blonde felt Elphaba's body shift before her words sank into her suddenly clouded mind, and she frowned. She was actually getting comfortable. Why did Elphaba have to leave so soon?**

_**Wait…. What?**_

**Galinda, upon realizing just what in Oz she had been thinking, quickly released her roommate and jumped up from the vanity. Her cheeks painted a very bright pink, she averted her cerulean gaze from the girl in question. Her mind whirling to find an explanation, maybe an excuse for her childish behavior, she forced out, "Well, I…. I appreciate you helping." **_**You appreciate the green thing? That's rich!**_** That thought unleashed a sort of fury with herself, and she added in frustration, "But don't expect it to ever happen again. In fact, this never occurred. Understand?" **_**Oh, what are Pfannee and Shenshen going to think…?**_

Elphaba looked down at her hands again, clearing her throat a second time in mortification. She nodded mutely at Galinda's thanks. Oh, sweet Lurline, what had she just been _doing_?! Not sixty seconds ago she had been sitting on Galinda's vanity, actually _holding_…

"Of course," she said with finality. "It never happened. And it never will again." Feeling slightly less awkward now that things were more or less where they belonged, Elphaba escaped to the bathroom to finish getting ready for bed.

**Once the door closed behind the green girl, Galinda wanted to scream. What was she **_**thinking?**_** How could she allow herself to go **_**that**_** far as to let the green monstrosity **_**touch her??**_** It didn't matter how vulnerable those damned storms made her! She knew her place in life; Elphaba, by now, should know her position several rungs down. What made her think that she could blur the thick line separating them?**

**But… despite her frustration--despite how much she loathed herself as well as the creature that was now safely locked behind a closed door--she actually felt at peace with herself. Like something that had been weighing her down was suddenly lifted…. And another feeling replaced it. Something… warmer? The blonde shook her head at the impossibility of that thought. How could she feel anything other than cold hatred toward someone who couldn't even feel?**

Elphaba sighed with relief when she heard the bathroom lock click into place. She leaned back against the door, closing her eyes. She could feel, however, a colossal amount of uncertainty threatening to cascade down upon her, and she quickly busied herself with something else. Anything else. She mentally closed the lid on her overflowing emotions, containing them inside, where they _should_ be kept. She told herself that she would deal with them later. Later, of course, meaning never.

It wasn't until she felt a familiar burning on her wrist that she realized what exactly she was doing. Galinda's container of strawberry bubble bath clattered to the floor as Elphaba jumped up to rush to her oil cabinet. She had been so preoccupied with what she was thinking that she hadn't realized what she was applying to her arm. Stupid, stupid… She grabbed her sandalwood-scented bathing oil, rubbing it vigorously onto the angry, pine-colored welt that had appeared on her wrist. She massaged the oil into her skin over and over until she was absolutely _positive _the strawberry smell was gone. The last thing she needed was for Galinda to notice, _hey, Elphaba sorta smells like my bubble bath…_

Sweet Oz, what was she even _thinking?! _Why, in Ozma's name, would her blonde roommate be _smelling_ her?! Elphaba all but threw her oil back into her cabinet, slamming the door shut and bringing her hand up to rest on her forehead in frustration. What she needed was sleep. She wasn't even _thinking _straight, and that was something she could not afford. _History quiz tomorrow,_ she reminded herself, _history quiz._

After a few deep breaths to calm herself down, the green girl looked down at the floor, her eyes immediately finding the offending bottle of bubble bath. Not much had spilled; only a tiny pink puddle adorned the floor, so her roommate shouldn't notice that anything was missing. Elphaba carefully cleaned up the puddle, put the bottle back where Galinda always kept it, and said a silent prayer to no one in particular that she wouldn't notice. Then she swiftly emerged from the bathroom, being very careful not to look at her blonde roommate, and quickly went to bed.

**Galinda quickly gathered her nightgown that was neatly set at the edge of her bed earlier that evening, waiting for the green girl to get out of their shared bathroom. She had to stop. She had to get rid of these confusing thoughts and get back into her regular routine before she exploded. "Just an expression," she told herself as an after-thought to her already frantic mind. The blonde paused, realizing what she had just done. Great, now Elphaba had her talking to herself. Thank Lurline she wasn't in the room. Otherwise she'd be on the floor laughing. Or just pestering her even more like the little green gnat that she was….**

**The bathroom door swung open with a bang, a whirl of gray and green tearing out the room it shielded. The blonde fought to keep herself from looking, from staring--she didn't think she'd be able to stand so much as a single glance in her direction after what happened. But the moment Elphaba rushed past her, Galinda's senses came on full alert. Mixed in with the usual smell of whatever it was she used in there was something different, something sweeter…. It was faint, but it was also familiar, and it caught the blonde completely by surprise.**

_**Is that my bubble bath??**_

**No, no, it was probably something else. Oz, she was thinking too much…. With a huff, Galinda made her way to the bathroom and quickly closed the door, where she was immediately wrapped in the smell of sandal-wood. Wondering what she did to piss the Unnamed God off, she quickly went through her nightly routine before following her roommate's lead and settling her in her own bed. This was going to be a long year….**


	2. Me Against You

**Elphaba glided up the stairs to her room, a tray of food balanced on her slender green hand. It was Friday night, so with any luck, her socialite roommate would already have plans for the evening. This would leave Elphaba finally alone in her room, with nothing but her supper and a good book, something she had been looking forward to all week.**

**She had done a pretty good job of avoiding Galinda for the past seven days: going to bed early, studying in the library, and pretending not to notice her and her posse when they strode through the halls as if they owned the place. Even so, the blonde had kept her on her feet. Thankfully, Elphaba had managed to slip quietly through the week since that unnatural night. How on earth could she ever face Galinda, or anyone else, after that? The blonde had probably told all of Shiz about it, no doubt turning the green girl into some disgusting pervert who couldn't keep her hands to herself. Yes, Elphaba Thropp was glad to have the evening to herself.**

**Galinda hummed to herself as she carefully selected one of her better dresses from within her wardrobe, pointedly avoiding even glancing at herself in the vanity mirror--her elusive roommate's words still hung in her mind despite how much she managed to avoid her. Surprisingly enough, that task had become easier as the week wore on. With the constant nightly outings with her friends and the occasional party on weeknights, the blonde successfully dodged the otherwise frequent sarcastic remarks from the green girl.**

**Though her outward appearance proudly announced that she was living the best of most possible lives, on the inside she was slowly turning into a nervous wreck. In this entire week, Elphaba could have told anyone about their little "situation" during the storm. Who she would tell Galinda didn't know, but she had no doubt that the green creature would know **_**someone**_**. Maybe to a random student--Boq! She gasped at the prospect. That little Munchkin boy couldn't keep his mouth shut to save himself! He would **_**certainly**_** tell everyone at Shiz, thus ruining the perfect reputation and casting her out of society's good graces….**

**The blonde began to panic. She quickly slipped into one of the most simple yet tasteful pale pink dresses she owned, checking herself one last time in the **_**bathroom**_** mirror, and rushed to the door. Galinda grasped the doorknob and twisted it, yanking the door open and preparing to make a quick getaway before her roommate arrived--**

Elphaba turned her back to the door, reaching behind her to grab the doorknob to open it more easily. Something hit her back, and then she was falling…

The green girl landed on her back, successfully squishing her tiny blonde roommate below her. The food catapulted into the air, dousing both of them in Elphaba's four-course steak dinner.

**A squeak of surprise escaped the blonde as a black-clad form suddenly toppled onto her. There was a crash of metal against the hard-wood floor, then the sensation of a hot substance searing her arm and running down the front of her dress. Quickly she pushed the person off of her--Elphaba, she realized with a wild mixture of anger, surprise, and terror--and looked down at herself to inspect the damage. She gasped, her eyes tearing up at the sight of the precious fabric that was now ruined beyond compare. It wasn't her favorite, but just the idea that Elphaba did this on **_**purpose**_** made her want to cry…. **

**And she so did.**

Elphaba glowered dangerously at her sobbing roommate, rage converting her chocolate eyes to stone. Her plain frock was now decorated in potatoes, steak sauce, and numerous other food items. Why was it that whenever something like this happened, Galinda somehow managed to be in fault?

**Galinda sniffled, trying her best to control the seemingly uncontrollable tears. "Look what you've done!" the blonde sobbed before burying her face in her hands, ignoring the icy glare that was fired at her. "Why do you feel so compelled to ruin **_**everything,**_** Miss Elphaba?"**

Elphaba stared in furious shock at her roommate. SHE ruined everything?! A million insults were on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't pick just one. Her hand twitched, wanting nothing more than to slap the blubbering girl, but she didn't. Instead, she held her composure brilliantly, simply stalking off to the bathroom.

**Galinda heard the ruffling of Elphaba's black skirt as the green girl strode toward another part of the room, obviously as infuriated as she was, if not more. A door slammed, making the blonde's head jerk up in surprise. In that one, quick movement, her despair spun around and morphed completely into anger. The blonde stood up and dashed to the closed bathroom door and proceeded in trying to beat it down. "I paid for this dress with more money than you could ever hope to get your rotten hands on! How **_**dare**_** you do something like that and just **_**walk away??"**_** she shrieked.**

"Easy," Elphaba replied calmly, unphased by the passionate hammering coming from the other side of the door. "You got in my way, made me spill my dinner, and now I have to clean up. I couldn't very well do that in our doorway, now could I?"

**With one last beat on the door, which hadn't budged an inch, Galinda let out a fierce growl of rage. "Elphaba Thropp, I'm serious! I demand you to open this Oz-forsaken door and tell me just how you're going to pay for this!" the blonde cried. The nerve of that girl! Lurline above, if looks were materialized then Elphaba would be dead on the other side of the door in an instant….**

_**Think about your friends,**_** the annoying voice in her head whispered. **_**You're going to be late. They'll be horribly disappointed in you….**_

_**Forget about them!**_** Galinda's heart cried in retaliation. Surely they would understand that this was not a matter that could be easily ignored….**

"**Open the door!"**

Elphaba opened the door calmly, as clean as clean could be. She shot an icy look at the blonde.

"If you'll excuse me, Miss Galinda, I believe I'll go down to the café and get my dinner… _again_. When I return, please try not to be loitering right behind the door this time." She punctuated her request with an exasperated sigh before heading again for the door.

**Before Elphaba could manage to get away, the blonde planted herself in front of the exit, firing a deadly glare at the green monstrosity. "No, Miss Elphaba, I will not excuse you," Galinda growled. "You are going to come with me downtown, and you're going to buy me a new dress. Or else," the usually perky blonde added menacingly.**

Elphaba stared at her roommate in shock, a huge smile growing rapidly on her face. She bit her lip as hard as she could, trying not to laugh, but that wasn't working. Elphaba cackled loudly, one hand propping herself up on the doorway, or she would have fallen to the floor. Just the furious look on the blonde's perfect face, the rage in her normally bubbly tone sent the green girl into hysteria.

"Or else… what?" she gasped.

Elphaba Thropp, granddaughter of the Thropp Third Descending, going shopping with Miss Galinda Upland of the Upper Uplands. Yeah, right.**Galinda frowned, her roommate's laughter startling her. She grappled for a response, but found that she had none. She could only focus on the sound of the green girl's laugh--it sounded oddly melodious despite its harshness…. The blonde paused her thoughts and shook her head to clear it. What was she thinking? Melodious? She was horrendifying--the very picture of wickedness, for goodness sakes! Nothing good could ever come of her….**

**She realized just a moment later that she was staring at Elphaba, and that her mind had strayed from the matter at hand. Quickly she recovered; her eyes narrowed once again, but this time she added a malevolent grin to counter her roommate's. "You see your precious pile of books on your desk?" she asked, gesturing toward the aforementioned desk with a careless hand. Her grin widened. "I bet they'd be even more precious when reduced to ashes."**

Elphaba's laughter halted, though the traces of an amused smile still played upon her emerald lips. She wasn't sure if Galinda was serious or not; you could really never tell with the little blonde. Anyway, she was sure her books were safe for the moment, with herself between her books and her psychotic roommate.

"I'm pretty sure you don't want me shopping with you anyway," Elphaba told her, a warning prominent in her tone.

**Galinda's maniac grin suddenly transformed into a blazing glare as her temper finally was pushed beyond her control. She reached out and latched a pale hand around Elphaba's verdant wrist, squeezing it with a grip she had never known she could possess. A growl passed her lips. "Regardless of those facts," she hissed, "you're coming with me whether you like it or not." The blonde emphasized her point by giving a firm yank upon the captured arm, dragging the green girl toward the door with fierce determination burning within her being.**

Elphaba's body jerked forward as her roommate yanked her along with a strength exceedingly belittled by the blonde's size.

"YAGH! All right!" Elphaba screeched, ripping her wrist from the pale hand and scrutinizing the red welt that was beginning to appear around it. She glowered at the blonde beneath thick dark lashes.

"Just let me get something from the cafeteria, first." It was phrased as a suggestion, but Elphaba's tone may as well have made her statement a written law.

"**Absolutely not!" Galinda snapped. She knew perfectly well how this was going to turn out no matter what the situation. Either Elphaba really did go to the cafeteria and stay there for the rest of the evening, or she bolted toward the library before it closed and hide until Lurline-Knows-When. Both would be an avoidance tactic that could very well work. Therefore, the blonde was **_**not**_** gonna let the green creature out of her sight for an instant. "We can get something in town."**

_**As if I'd **_**really**_** want to be seen with the likes of her….**_

The green girl shot a look at the blonde that should have slaughtered Galinda on the spot.

"We're getting something in town _first,_" she declared. "Then we'll look for your stupid dress."


	3. Look at You

**The blonde, internally, was perfectly livid with this girl and her impertinence. Who knew that someone who never ate could be so wrathful when it came to food? "Fine, then," she spat out. Galinda strode toward the door in a manner so unlike her and yanked it open. Before taking a single step out, she turned around and faced her roommate. "Do you want me to take your arm and force you out, or are you going to cooperate with me?"**

Elphaba sighed as if dealing with a two-year-old throwing a temper tantrum. She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples for a moment, like she was trying to keep from sending the little blonde flying out of the two-story window.

Whatever. At least her stomach would be appeased. She'd think of a way out of this hellhole after she ate. The green girl hadn't had anything since breakfast, and she was famished.

Elphaba grabbed her cloak, in case it decided to rain, and strode out the door. She headed down the stairs to the pebbled street, bathed beautifully in twilight, and waved her green hand for a cab. The driver pulled over and the tall girl paid him and got in, resting her cheek in her hand as she gazed out the window at nothing. She ignored her "companion", letting Galinda give the poor man the directions to The Beautiful Fairy Land of Gowns and Tiaras and Lurline-Knows-What. She didn't care where they were going, just so long as the little blonde nuisance finally left her alone about her fancy clothing.

**It wasn't until the carriage actually started to move when Galinda began to realize just how ridiculous this entire idea was. She had **_**never**_** let her anger get the better of her--not like this. And now she was letting her roommate come with her on an excursion that only her closest **_**friends**_** were allowed to take part of? What was she **_**thinking???**_

_**Calm down,**_** she willed herself. **_**It's just temporary….**_

**The blonde let out the breath she just noticed she had been holding, letting her eyes focus on the buildings that passed outside of the cab. Her mind struggled to sort through the several thoughts that rapidly sped through it. What was it her mother used to say? There are some things in life that you just need to grin and bear? Perhaps this outing with her roommate--the vilest creature in all of Oz--was supposed to test her patience. Maybe something good could come out of this….**

_**If we don't end up killing each other.**_

**Galinda swallowed her discomfort and cleared her throat, hoping that what she was going to do next wouldn't mark her grave. "So… where would you like to eat?"**

The green girl continued to stare out the window as Galinda got in and the carriage began to move. She was going over her Latin vocabulary in her head when the blonde suddenly spoke, jolting Elphaba out of her reverie.

The question she asked was even more surprising, though Elphaba did her best to hide her shock. Was Galinda Upland actually trying to be _considerate_ of Elphaba Thropp?

For a moment the raven-haired girl was speechless, and then her brain seemed to click into place. Where _did_ she want to eat?

"Um," she stammered, trying through her surprised haze to remember some of the restaurants she frequented. "Uh, there's a little café up here, on the left. That would be okay," she said quietly, leaning up to point out the establishment to the driver. Once the carriage stopped and the man opened the door for them, Elphaba kept pace with Galinda as they strolled up the sidewalk. Anyone from Shiz would have keeled over from a stroke upon seeing the unlikely pair.

Elphaba quickly ordered in a quiet voice - a bagel and a small coffee. She turned halfway to face her reluctant companion, feeling awkward as chocolate eyes met blue without anger or disgust in the gaze of either girl.

"Did you want anything?"

**Galinda quickly averted her gaze, more out of habit than necessity. But then she chided herself, noting that by doing this she would be offending the green girl, and she lifted her eyes to Elphaba's once again. In a quick moment of thought she realized that looking at this strange girl wasn't as horrible as she had believed previously. A part of her was terrified for even **_**considering**_** such a thing… but a majority of her was intrigued by it and made her more curious about her roommate.**

**However, delving into the matter was something beyond anything the blonde really wanted to get into at the moment, so she decided it was best to just let it be for a while or so.**

**Realizing that Elphaba was staring at her expectantly, Galinda blushed lightly. "Oh, um… I'm not hungry," she replied. Her stomach gurgled quietly in spite of her words, as if waging a sort of protest against her, and she grimaced. **_**Please,**_** she thought,**_** just go ahead and pay….**_

Elphaba raised an eyebrow at Galinda's response, but shrugged and paid for her small meal.

"For here or to go?" asked the girl behind the counter.

"Um…" Elphaba blinked in surprise. She had forgotten that especially difficult question. Galinda wasn't getting anything, so she supposed the two could walk while she was eating.

"To go," she finally decided, taking her food and moving out of the way of others in line, towards the door.

"Where to, Miss Galinda?" she inquired softly, seemingly very interested in making sure the cream in her coffee was swirled evenly throughout the hot liquid.

**The blonde followed her roommate out of the café before deciding to take the lead. A small smile suddenly graced her lips, whether at the idea of shopping or the prospect of having the green girl actually submitting to her wishes she wasn't sure. Nor did she really want to figure that out at the moment. "Let's see," she mused to herself. "There's so many choices…. I guess we'll just walk until something catches our eyes." Galinda paused. "**_**My**_** eyes," she quickly amended with a small frown. But she ignored her slight disappointment--she supposed this was better than nothing.**

The green girl nodded mutely, taking a careful sip of her searing drink. She kept pace with her bubbly blonde roommate, not offering conversation, but not really distancing herself either. She munched her bagel thoughtfully as the two of them passed by the various shops, until a dress in a window caught Elphaba's eye. It was a deep pink at the bottom that faded to a lighter shade, almost white as one's eyes progressed up the dress. The shoulders were puffy, the kind meant to hang off of someone's arm rather than for the fabric to be slung over their actual shoulders. The dress itself was strapless, and the torso was fitted to double as a corset. The skirt seemed an endless, but not distasteful, sea of ruffles and layers, and the dress sparkled in the lights of the store like it were magic. Even in the raven-haired girl's mind, the gown had "Galinda" written all over it.

"What about that one?" Elphaba mused, gesturing to the store window where the dress was shown.

**Galinda couldn't help but cringe at the sound of the question from Elphaba's mouth. She knew she had to at least be courteous toward the green girl, and she had to admit that she was so far. But this was **_**Elphaba**_** she was talking about! The girl had as much of a fashion sense as a Tiger had spots. She was sure to make a mistake in judgment!**

**The blonde reluctantly turned her gaze toward the shop Elphaba had directed her attention to, bracing herself for the monstrosity she would find. What she saw, however, was something absolutely incredible. A beautiful, flowing ball gown the color of cherry blossoms was clearly displayed. Glitter was sprinkled across the bodice and skirt of the wonderful ensemble. It was amazing. No, more than that…. It was **_**perfect.**_

**Who would have thought that the color-blind green girl would pick out something like that?**

**Galinda glanced back at her roommate, a wide grin spread across her lips. "May I?" she asked, her voice filled with a childish hope she believed had disappeared from her for good.**

Elphaba shrugged, not returning Galinda's gaze. She could hear the smile in the girl's voice, however, and couldn't help but feel her own lips twitch in response.

"You won't know 'til you try it on," she supposed, wandering towards the door to the shop. She finished the last bit of her bagel and coffee and threw the cup and plate away in the garbage can near the door. She could not believe she was doing this. No, that wasn't it. What she couldn't believe was that Galinda could be decent company.

She rested her hand on the handle of the door and looked back to the blonde, unable to resist a soft chuckle. The blonde was apparently still in the process of picking her jaw up off the floor, her eyes still fixed on the dress in the window.

Elphaba tilted her head, her raven hair falling in a black waterfall over her shoulder as the faint beginnings of a smile graced her emerald lips.

"You coming?"

**With a not-so-subtle squeal of delight that turned the heads of many in their direction, Galinda bounced over to her roommate. She felt so wonderfully**_** light--**_**a usual reaction she had on these outings, but never anything of this quality. She supposed it had something to do with the strange unusualness that accompanied her this time around, namely her roommate, and that she had yet to truly get used to the idea of doing something like this with Elphaba. But she was willing to ignore it, if only to gain the dress in the store window.**

**The door swung open at the pull of the green girl's hand, and suddenly the blonde's excitement spilled over in one breathless stream. "Oh, Lurline, this is so **_**great!**_** I've never seen anything so beautiful in my entire life! Of course, that's excluding the diamond necklace my mother gave to me for my birthday a few years ago, but that's beside the point. Anyway, who would have thought that you would know how to sight something so wonderful? I mean, look at you…." Galinda trailed off, a red flag suddenly waving in her mind and alerting her of possible danger. Too far. Right. "Well… I suppose you do have **_**some**_** taste despite being a green person…." She bit her lip, a wave of panic rushing over her. Oh, Oz, her and her big mouth! "I should just shut up now…," the blonde muttered, looking away from the girl she had horribly insulted.**

Elphaba stared at her for a moment, then threw her head back in a loud cackle. She had to hold herself against the doorway for support as she laughed, wiping tears from her eyes before they could sear her sensitive skin.

"Oh, that's rich," she managed to breathe, her dancing eyes capturing Galinda's in amusement. "Yeah," she continued good naturedly, a smile still upon her lips as she strode toward the window where the dress hung, "you probably _should_ shut up now."

**Galinda watched in surprise as the green girl tried to reign in the laughter that had so suddenly burst from her. And for some strange reason, she wished that she wouldn't. It was peculiar to hear such a sound come from her, and it was something the blonde had to admit she could get used to. It wasn't sarcastic and crude like it usually was--it was lighter, more pleasant….**

**Upon seeing Elphaba's smile, she found herself reciprocating it. She could definitely get used to this, she supposed…. Galinda walked over to her roommate's side, her gaze on the green girl rather than the original object of her attention. "Alright," she said, her blue eyes alight with a joy that still shocked her to a small degree. "I guess I'm banned from speaking and I'm now supposed to gesture with my hands what I want? Maybe a few smoke signals? Although that would be bad for the shop, I've heard that it's very effective."**

The green girl nodded in agreement, a mischievous smile adorning her mouth.

"Yep," she confirmed, her grin widening, "you've been confined to a never-ending game of charades."

She glanced around the store, tapping her sharp chin in mock thought.

"Although we seem to have come to the wrong place for firewood… I don't know how you would pull off those smoke signals."

**Galinda grinned at her roommate. "Well, I'll tell you one thing I'm certain of," she said, her tone light yet her eyes suddenly taking on a serious edge. "You are **_**not**_** going to use any of these dresses as make-shift firewood!"**

Elphaba chuckled, shaking her head. She ran a green hand through the inky black cascade that tumbled over her shoulders, glancing at the dress before returning her gaze to the blonde. A smile was prominent in her chocolate eyes as they connected with blue ones.

"Just try on your dress."

_**Your **_**dress. Those simple two words made Galinda's breath catch in her throat. And the added look in Elphaba's eyes made her already-established ecstasy seem to multiply…. The blonde chose to ignore the slight feeling of confusion and unease that settled in her stomach. Instead, she skipped over to the beautiful garment and proceeded to take it off of the display, to hell with the assistants that was there to help with that very task.**

**Galinda, upon succeeding, tucked the dress over her arm and carefully carried it to the nearest dressing room--luckily there was still one open. She turned around before completely closing herself within its walls, jumping a little when she realized how close her roommate still was to her. The blonde offered her a smile. "Wait right out here, if you don't mind," she said, her voice a bit higher in pitch due to her rising excitement.**

The green girl nodded, turning her attention to the rest of the store. Oh, sweet Oz, could they have created a more useless waste of space? She should be in a bookstore, a café, anywhere but in this hellhole full of ball gowns. They seemed to sparkle and call out to her, mocking her.

_Elphaba… you're green, Elphaba. Look at us, so beautiful, so perfect for girls like your pretty little roommate, hmm? But not for you. You don't even have an occasion to wear one of us, do you? The Ozdust? Don't hold your breath._

Elphaba sighed, running her green hand through her pitch strands of silk again. She was so out of place here, among the beautiful garments that regular girls would die for. There was nothing for her here, an absence that resulted in her seeming disgust for fashion. Everything clashed with green, save for the few dark frocks she had managed to collect.

Elphaba wasn't repulsed by fashion because she didn't want to be beautiful. She hated it because there were other, more important things, things she was good at, things that didn't have to do with her appearance.

Just once, Elphaba Thropp wanted to be beautiful.


	4. Gorgeous

The moment the dressing room door closed, Galinda's ecstasy faded almost completely. This confused her greatly. She was in the middle of one of the finest fashion boutiques in downtown Shiz, holding in her arms the most gorgeous dress she had ever laid eyes on, and she felt, to her own surprise, almost absolutely _miserable. _Almost immediately her mind came up with a seemingly reasonable answer--her roommate allegedly had the uncanny ability to suck all the optimism out of any given space.

But… this was different. She knew it was, and yet she couldn't quite place what it was. Sympathy? No, that was too much for someone she loathed…. Unless she _didn't_ hate her as much as she thought. Maybe it was just a ploy for something she didn't want to admit to herself, like she believed that the foul creature could be _tolerable._

Galinda shook her head at the chilling prospect and began to shed the once-ruined dress in order to put on the one her own roommate had selected. She had to stop thinking like that. This was just something forced on the green girl to have her pay the blonde back for her wrong-doing. That was it….

**Elphaba sighed, leaning against the wall near the dressing room, and crossing her lean, emerald-skinned arms. She stared at her boots for a moment, then swept her hard, chocolate gaze around the store. Dresses, dresses everywhere, and not even **_**one**_** to - **

**Wait a minute.**

**Along the far wall, near the back of the store, the green girl's eye caught sight of it, hanging inconspicuously by itself, unnoticed in light of the other, more elegant gowns. It was of sleek, smooth satin, dyed a brilliantly deep purple, with a neckline that plunged into a deep V. It was simple, classic, and discreet - just like Elphaba.**

"**Come on, come on," she muttered under her breath as she tried to reach behind herself to zip up the back of the dress by herself. This was the only thing she hated about shopping, she noted for the hundredth time. Who knew that something meant only for one person required two in order to get it completely on? At the rate she was going, she was going to end up ripping the fabric….**

**At that thought, Galinda froze. No. That could**_** not**_** happen to something so beautiful…. Taking one last look at her reflection--which now looked disheveled rather than charming--her hand went to the door handle. "Miss Elphaba?" she called as she opened the door slowly. Upon seeing that the green girl was still there, Galinda opened her mouth to continue her request… but then she paused as she steadily took in the entire picture.**

**Elphaba Thropp, the Green Frog of Oz, was staring at a single dress at the other side of the store, seemingly entranced. It was one of a simple variety, a dark satin material with a plunging neckline and a delicate flowing skirt…. Compared to everything else, it lacked a certain style the others had. And yet…it intrigued her. Of course, it wasn't the dress itself that held her attention.**

**It was the fact that **_**Elphaba**_** had noticed it.**

_**She's really good at this after all….**_

**The blonde cleared her throat; the sound stopped her own wandering thoughts in their tracks. She stepped forward, holding the front of the pink dress to her chest to keep it from slipping. "Um… Elphaba?" she asked quietly. "Could you help me real quick?"**

The green girl turned slowly, keeping her eyes on the violet dress as she did so. When she took her gaze from it, however, she inhaled sharply at the next beauty she saw.

Galinda stood before her, trying to peer over her shoulder to a zipper she couldn't zip while a small hand held the top of the dress to her bosom. Her perfect blonde curls were mussed and out of place, and the girl's porcelain cheeks were flushed a delicate pink with frustration. The dress was stunning, flowing around the blonde in a collection of sparkling ruffles that Elphaba would find hideous on anyone else.

Why _was_ that?

For a moment, Elphaba was speechless, then regained her composure within the blink of an eye.

"Yeah," she murmured. "Yeah, I'll help you." She stepped quietly behind the little blonde, her slender, verdant fingers sliding the zipper up Galinda's spine.

**Galinda felt her breath catch in her throat just briefly as Elphaba carefully zipped up the back of the dress. That slight catch was enough to cause a sudden jolt within her heart, something she'd never felt before. But… why?**

_**Because you're not used to that thing touching you?**_

**The blonde ignored the curt tone that echoed in her mind--**_**tolerance,**_** she reminded herself--but she didn't try to analyze the feeling either. She took a few steps away from her roommate without a word of thanks, grateful for the renewed space between them, and turned in a slow circle in front of the green girl. "What do you think?" she asked her. She knew that it was most likely pointless to ask Elphaba such a question, but seeing how she had defied her expectations so far already then Galinda figured that it couldn't hurt.**

Elphaba let her verdant hands fall easily away from her roommate when Galinda stepped away, letting out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. This shopping with Galinda was just too… unusual.

The blonde looked absolutely gorgeous in the gown, however, and the green girl let her chocolate eyes travel over every inch of the fabric as the blonde turned slowly, watching for imperfections or defects in the material or the way it fit. She found none. The dress was strikingly magnificent.

"You look beautiful, Miss Galinda," she answered quietly, raising her gaze to meet the girl's smiling eyes, and feeling one side of her mouth twitch upward in response.

**Galinda paused, her face warming in response to the green girl's comment. She looked into Elphaba's eyes, searching for any trace that might show that she was lying. She found none. Either that or Elphaba was really good at bluffing. "Thank you," she responded nonetheless. She glanced toward the dark dress her roommate examined earlier, considering the oh-so-random thought that popped into her head…. "Why don't you try on that one?" she asked, gesturing toward the midnight-colored gown. She smiled softly. "I'll pay for it."**

The green girl chuckled softly, turning her gaze back to the dress she had been considering before. Mostly, this was to hide her surprise. She had to be dreaming… maybe it was something she ate. Galinda Upland could not be offering to buy Elphaba Thropp a dress. Unless, of course… the blonde wasn't as snobbish as she seemed. Elphaba considered it a moment. Maybe.

She glanced back at Galinda, a small, almost sad smile on her emerald lips.

"What for?"

"**Well, umm…." The blonde frowned as her mind tried turning over the limited possibilities. She hated when this happened. She always thought up crazy ideas and failed to think them completely through…. The Ozdust wouldn't be a good setting for Elphaba—the poor girl **_**hated**_** dances, let alone any social gathering! Maybe she could just wear it just for the heck of it…?**

**But the look in Elphaba's eyes….**

"**I'm pretty sure something will come up," Galinda said; it wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth, either. She shrugged this slightly disappointing thought off and allowed her smile to reappear. She walked toward the dress and took it off the rack. "Just try it on. I mean it."**

"Miss Galinda, I really don't…" Elphaba trailed off. This didn't make a speck of sense. Why on earth would one try on a dress when one had no place to wear it? The green girl thought and thought, but failed to come up with a reason - not a logical one anyway. She just couldn't find any possible incentive, other than that it would be "just for fun."

That made sense when she thought from Galinda's perspective. The little blonde and her friends were always chatting about fashion and dresses and makeup and beauty. When they went shopping together, Galinda always came back with less than she should have been able to buy in the endless hours out. To her bubbly blonde roommate, this _was_ fun, whether Elphaba could understand it or not. And even though trying on dresses for no reason was far from entertaining to the raven-haired girl, the fact remained - Galinda was trying to share her version of fun with her.

Elphaba sighed, unease causing her arms to absentmindedly cross.

"All right."

**Galinda barely held back her squeal of excitement. "This is going to be so fun!" she exclaimed. For a moment, she didn't care that this wasn't a normal human being she was dealing with. Her mind was taken over by the high that usually consumed her when on these outings. Blue eyes sparkling with enthusiasm she couldn't contain, she rambled, "You'll look great in this, I can tell! The color goes nicely with your skin—it almost complements it in a way black can't, don't you think? Oh, it's perfect! You'll look so—"**

"**Miss Galinda! What in Oz?!"**

**The blonde felt herself freeze at the sound of the icy, feminine voice that suddenly rang in her ears. Despite herself she turned to face the one who addressed her, and her eyes widened in near-fright. This wasn't good…. "Oh, Miss Shenshen, Miss Pfannee!" she choked out. "What a surprise!"**


	5. Locked Inside the Facade

"I can tell," Shenshen sniffed, beholding the green girl with an icy, green glare. Her fiery hair tumbled in gorgeous waves down her back, and she flipped a lock of it over her shoulder as she approached. On her face was plastered a smile that looked more like a shark's hungry grin, and her hard, verdant gaze glittered with hostility.

"Miss Galinda, darling," she began, swiftly linking her arm with the blonde's, "Miss Pfannee and I were just headed to the quaint little jewelry shop on the corner. You know the one I'm talking about? Well, there are these darling sapphire earrings I simply MUST have, to go with the dress I'm wearing to the Ozdust. Oh, don't look at me like that, I told you all about it! You remember, the blue one! Oh, I KNOW you do.

"Anyway, I found this diamond-and-sapphire necklace that would be simply SCRUMPTIOUS to go with that dress! But then, they didn't have the earrings to go with it! I was crestfallen, but then I found these! Oh, you have to come see!"

Shenshen finally paused in her gushing over the earrings to take a breath, swiftly leading her little blonde friend toward the door of the dress shop. As if she had forgotten something, some bothersome trifle, she waved her hand flippantly in the air.

"I suppose you can come too, Miss Elphaba. If you wish," she practically sneered over her shoulder, her tone nearly _daring_ the green girl to tag along.

**Galinda pulled herself from Shenshen's grasp almost immediately, her mind reeling from the effect of her words and the sudden movements toward the door. Her eyes immediately flickered to Elphaba; she involuntarily flinched at the sight of her. What could she do? She knew that she **_**should**_** show some form of courteousness toward the green girl—it was the most reasonable thing she could do given how she had so quickly warmed up to her….**

**Wait… That wasn't right….**

**The blonde's heart ached suddenly, realizing that she had a choice to make. She could stay with Elphaba, who didn't really seem all that bad… but that would cause her friends to abandon her. Or she could go with Pfannee and Shenshen, leaving Elphaba like she **_**should**_** do.**

**She looked down at the beautiful pink dress her green roommate had picked for her. This was so difficult….**

_**It shouldn't be,**_** her cold conscience told her. **_**You know your place and she knows hers. Stay where you belong.**_

**Galinda glanced back at her roommate, an apology ready at her lips. When she tried to speak, however, it wouldn't come. It was as if the world shifted and became altered, restoring what once was and eliminating the changes made. She no longer viewed Elphaba as a potential friend—as strange as that was—but as a green freak, an inferior, a monstrosity on the face of Oz.**

_**As it should be**_**….**

**She looked back at her friends, a pompous air surrounding her once again; the thickness of it made her stomach churn. "Miss Elphaba? Coming with **_**us**_**? I think **_**not!**_**" the blonde answered. "The little freak **_**followed**_** me here! She is **_**not**_** to be a part of our company."**

Elphaba glared at the blonde through long, dark lashes, her green hands clenching into fists at her sides before relaxing. Beneath the anger that blazed in her chocolate eyes was a faint, but unmistakable disappointment. Was this the girl that she had just been shopping with? The one with the adorably mussed curls and cheeks flushed pink in frustration as she tried to don the gown that made her cobalt eyes sparkle like sapphires in the sun? The girl that made Elphaba smile in spite of herself at her mere enthusiasm?

_No,_ the raven-haired girl thought to herself, her dark eyes narrowing. She didn't know where that girl had come from, or where she had gone, but the blonde she was facing now was undeniably her stuck-up, snobbish roommate, the one Elphaba loathed with all that she was.

"Just go, Miss Galinda," she sighed, her voice sounding tired. And tired she was, of the whole situation. She looked at the blonde pointedly as she spoke again, her eyes clearly conveying the message that would only be understood by the two of them.

"I shan't 'follow' you to a shop again."

**Galinda momentarily felt her heart stop as the look in her roommate's eyes struck her to the very core of her being. She suddenly felt cold, lost, afraid…. But the feeling lasted for only a moment. Their connection, however frail, was broken with that one look. The blonde's heart immediately froze over, sealing itself from any other form of feeling other than the immense hatred that once again readily consumed it.**

**She strode back into the dressing room, slamming the door behind her, and began to remove the dress that she at one point adored. Now it was nothing but a curse, an atrocity, a symbol of the wickedness that Elphaba was. **_**This isn't me,**_** the blonde thought as she pushed the dress from her body, stepping out of it and quickly putting it back on the hanger. **_**This isn't me. She possessed me. I shouldn't have trusted her; she can't be trusted….**_

**Galinda put on her own dress—the one with the ruined front, colored a dark, murky brown instead of a flawless white—and quickly walked out of the small room. Without daring to glance at her, she thrust the beautiful gown into Elphaba's arms and proceeded to walk away. Her friends would follow her. She knew they would.**

_**I **_**hope**_** they will….**_

Shenshen chuckled cruelly at Elphaba as Galinda stalked off, motioning with a blue-polished finger for Pfannee to follow her. She quickly caught up with Galinda, yammering on about all that she had planned for the evening and gushing over again about her sapphire earrings.

Elphaba sighed as the trio left her sight, partially with relief and also with disappointment. Of course, she only had herself to blame for the latter. If she hadn't allowed her hopes to rise in someone so deceitful as Galinda, there would be no room for disappointment.

She glanced down at the beautiful gown that had been thrust angrily into her arms, almost smiling as she remembered the flickering sparkle in her roommate's azure eyes. Try as she might, the green girl couldn't deny how absolutely stunning Galinda had looked as she twirled happily in the dress, her eyes bright as it sparkled and shimmered around her, though her hair was beautifully imperfect and her cheeks a blushing rose.

It was from the influence of these thoughts that Elphaba crossed to the counter, laying the beautiful garment on the smooth surface.

"This one, please," she told the clerk, fishing in her pocket for her wallet.

-x-

_**Never again.**_

**Galinda growled under her breath as she trudged up the stairs to the second floor of Crage Hall. Her arms were screaming in agony—six shopping bags weighed them down, three in each hand. It was almost enough to make her never want to go shopping again, **_**especially**_** with Misses Pfannee and Shenshen!**

**But no, she must continue this routine. It wasn't **_**just**_** for the sake of appearances, like so many other aspects of her life….**

**The blonde let the bags drop at her sides the moment she made it to the top of the stairs, letting out a huge sigh of relief as the blood once again returned to her limbs. She then allowed herself to rest against the wall; her exhausted body relished in the sensation of **_**relaxing.**_** Today had to be the most hectic day of her entire life. Not only was she dragged from store to store and forced to try on Lurline-Knows-How-Many dresses, but she was pressed about **_**why**_** she had even dared to be seen with the Green Freak.**

**Apparently they were too stubborn to accept her answer of, "It's nothing," so she combated their constant questionings with silence until they got the picture. Eventually they did, but she could still sense their wonderings even though they were unspoken.**

**She didn't want to think about it anymore—she didn't even want to have to face Elphaba again! What had happened in the dress shop was too humiliating for her. It could have ruined her reputation if it hadn't already!**

_**You weren't thinking of any of this **_**before**_** Pfannee and Shenshen showed up. Why are you doing this now?**_

**Galinda frowned. That was a pretty good point…. She **_**did**_** enjoy Elphaba's company, loathe as she was to admit. And she was exceptionally good at selecting outfits…. **

**It was as if she were a normal person for once.**

"**But she's not," the blonde told herself before picking up the heavy bags again. "This doesn't change a thing."**

**Yet with that one concluding sentence, she felt a stubborn longing that not even the Unnamed God could eliminate.**

Elphaba glanced up from her books for a split second as a loud _thump_ resonated through Crage Hall. She turned her attention back to her studies - it appeared Miss Galinda was back, no doubt with her arms full of countless things she didn't need.

The green girl ignored the slight pain in her wrist, continuing her paper with her elegant script. She tried to focus her attention solely on her work, though she could feel her cheeks growing hot at the knowledge that Galinda's dress, the one she had picked from the store, hung from the handle of her wardrobe at the other end of the room.

As Galinda entered their room, Elphaba thanked the Unnamed God for the umpteenth time that her desk faced away from the door.

**Galinda pushed the door open the rest of the way with her foot, cringing when it accidentally slammed into the wall. She quickly realized that doing that was **_**not**_** the best idea; she weight of the bags suddenly shifted, forcing her to pitch forward in an ungraceful manner. The blonde squeaked, quickly dropping the bags in an attempt to regain her balance. However, in her flailing she forgot all about the direction of her feet, and so the sudden stab of pain that shot up her leg surprised her in more than one way.**

**The blonde grit her teeth, pausing in her movements to allow the pain to settle before she stepped forward again. Better, but it still stung.**

**She kicked her bags to the side, uncaring as to what happened to them next—they really weren't what she wanted, anyway—and trudged over to her bed. Unceremoniously she plopped on to the soft silk sheets, curling into a ball at the center of the mattress. When was this day going to **_**end**_**?**

Elphaba jumped, ever so slightly, when their door crashed into the wall. For a split second she pondered a glance over her shoulder to take in the situation, then decided against it. Her hand quit its pause, her green wrist flicking occasionally as she wrote.

She kept waiting for some sort of gasp or squeak of surprise, shock… what she was expecting, she wasn't sure. But she knew Galinda would do _something_ when she saw the dress hanging from her wardrobe. When a small, surprised squeak came to her ears, Elphaba finally turned, realizing too late that the sound was one of pain. She tried to keep a smile from her lips while the blonde flailed about the room, finally flopping onto the bed. The smile itself was not unkind… if one hadn't known any better they might think that the green girl found her roommate endearing. Certainly, if Elphaba had seen the look on her own face, she would have flushed with an angry embarrassment and immediately returned her attention to her work.

Instead, the green girl didn't pay any particular thought to the uncommonly non-hostile way she was gazing at Galinda. She did, however, turn back to her work before sapphire eyes could meet her own.

"You're welcome," she said in a soft tone, one that was either so infused or so lacking in emotion that a person could never know for sure what it meant.

**Galinda's eyes snapped open the moment she heard a small sound come from her roommate. It sounded almost like she was muttering something beneath her breath. The blonde sighed and rolled her eyes. For someone who claimed to be more mature than half the students at Shiz, she sure was using some pretty childish antics….**

**Her bright blue eyes flickered to her green roomie, and she sighed quietly. For the thousandth time already, she had to admit that she enjoyed her time with Elphaba today…. It was the first time she could ever truly feel like **_**herself. **_**Even with Pfannee and Shenshen--her best friends in all of Oz!--she never felt so comfortable…. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe she was really wrong to judge Elphaba so quickly. After all, Galinda knew **_**she**_** wouldn't like it if **_**she**_** was shunned from the rest of society for no reason…. Beneath the green skin, she seemed like a normal, wonderful person.**

**Not to mention that she apparently had amazing tastes in dresses….**

**Galinda sighed once again, this time in frustration with herself rather than at Elphaba. She knew it was selfish of her to think about it over and over again, but she still couldn't believe she had passed up such a beautiful dress. And it looked to be **_**one of a kind!!**_** The blonde cursed under her breath. Why did she have to be so **_**stupid**_** all of the time?**

**Her gaze went to her closed yet filled wardrobe, her disappointment steadily increasing as her mind tormented her with the thoughts of actually wearing the perfect outfit…. But then the thoughts stopped altogether, as well as her breath. She blinked twice, believing that the sight before her would vanish, but it didn't. She couldn't believe it. How did this happen…?**

**Then it clicked.**

**The dress she fell in love with was hanging on the handle of her wardrobe, practically glowing in its perfection.**

**Elphaba had bought it for her.**

**Tears sprang to the blonde's eyes as she lifted herself from her bed. A part of her wanted to scream; another part of her wanted to cry. But she remained in a sitting position at the foot of her bed, staring at the dress in wonder. It was all too good to be true….**

"**Thank you," she whispered after a long period of simply staring in shock and awe. She looked at her roommate's back again; she felt the tears fall at last, but she didn't wipe them away. "Thank you so much, Elphaba."**

Elphaba glanced over her shoulder to see the tears streaming down Galinda's face, and she barely even noticed that the blonde had left the honorific out of her name. Her roommate was suddenly transformed into a _person_ again, and the green girl felt a smile tug at her lips, though she was careful to keep it at bay.

It suddenly occurred to her that no one else saw Galinda Upland the way that Elphaba was seeing her now. She was always wearing the mask, always prioritizing her rank over her actual _self_. It was sad, Elphaba thought. Sadder than the cause of her own reputation.

"A deal's a deal," she said, letting a tiny smile lift her lips before turning back to her paper.

"**But…you didn't…." Galinda glanced from the dress to her roommate, biting her lip as she fought for the words to say. She wanted to thank her with every word in every known language, maybe **_**hug**_** her. But she also felt unsettled. Her words from the last few hours were bitter and childish and **_**wrong.**_** Elphaba shouldn't have acted on that. She didn't **_**have to **_**do it**_**….**_

**The blonde stood up and moved toward her green roommate. A part of her still wished to get away from her, but she was determined to beat that one part of herself until it was dead. There was no point in fighting anymore. Not now that Elphaba had done something for her…. "I really do appreciate what you've done," Galinda said slowly. She cleared her throat. "But…**_**why?**_** I don't understand…."**

"A deal's a deal," Elphaba repeated patiently, glancing up at her roommate beside her. She smiled a small, almost shy smile, one that would go nearly unnoticed if one wasn't paying particular attention. She still loved to confuse Galinda, but she never would have tried it like this before. And the old satisfaction from such actions, while somehow different, remained.

"Besides," she continued, finishing the sentence she had been writing when the blonde approached her, "what else would you wear to the Ozdust, after I ruined your other dress?"

**Galinda froze, her sapphire blue eyes widening ever so slightly. The Ozdust. One of the most awaited-for social events in Shizian history. Her reaction of surprise was initially directed on the fact that Elphaba **_**knew**_** of the Ozdust Ball, but then it shifted to the purpose of the dress. The blonde bit her lip. There was no doubt in her mind that she would be the talk of the night. It was impossible for any other girl to get a dress better than this….**

"**I appreciate it," the blonde said slowly. She glanced toward the wardrobe, where the dress was boldly presented to her, before looking back at the green girl. "I'll pay you back," Galinda added. With that final note she walked back to her bed, where she hoped the silence would reign again.**


	6. Fine Without You

_Sorry it hasn't been updated in a while! If you didn't read the note about LJ, it said that I wasn't going to be updating because Kirra was going to start posting this on LJ, and she wanted to catch up to what I had here before I posted more. Well, we're caught up now, so the 6th installment of Of Love and Loathing is here! Enjoy (and review)! :D_

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And the silence _did_ reign for the next week or so, things mainly going as normal. Elphaba studied, read, and studied some more, more or less ignoring her roommate. Her feelings toward the blonde had changed, on the other hand… only slightly, but enough to make a difference. She rarely found herself angry or annoyed with the girl in the weeks that followed. Instead, she more or less just stayed out of Galinda's way. She figured that her popular roommate must have grown more tolerant of her, as well, because the result was a few short, blissfully uneventful weeks before Fate saw it necessary to spice up the lives of the two unsuspecting college students.

Elphaba sighed contentedly, curled in her bed. It was late, and she had already dressed for the night in a dark nightgown flowing down to her knees, which she absently held to her chest. In her other hand she held a book up to the lamp on her beside table, her chocolate eyes darting back in forth over the pages, devouring the text. She bit her lip distractedly, her slim, verdant fingers easily flipping the page, almost ridiculously eager to discover what was passing for Animal psychology these days. It seemed not even a hurricane could shake her from her trance… though the bubbly blonde one that currently bounced down the hallway toward their room would surely give Elphaba a run for her money.

**Galinda Upland merrily pranced through the corridors of Crage Hall, ignoring the many hateful stares and glares that she just **_**knew**_** would appear sometime in her quest. The sting of little victory would wear off eventually--they were just jealous. And jealous was what they **_**should**_** be. After all, not many could be as clever and brilliant as Galinda the Glorious.**

_**Galinda the Glorious. Look at Miss High-and-Mighty now.**_

**The blonde brushed off that thought--which sounded surprisingly like her roommate's voice. Couldn't she feel at least a **_**little**_** proud of herself? Finally she had done something to wipe the evil, condescending smirks off of Pfannee and Shenshen's faces…and she didn't have to resort to violence. Instead, she did something a lot more damaging--something that would bruise their egos as well as their self-esteems….**

**She giggled at the thought of them writhing in emotional pain as she neared Room 22. She couldn't wait to tell Elphaba! While she knew the green girl wasn't one for "superficiality"--the blonde couldn't see what was so wrong with it--she **_**knew**_** Elphaba would enjoy hearing about societal bitches being put in their place…. Bitter much?**

_**You bet I am….**_

**The blonde opened the door to the dorm she shared and quickly closed it behind her. Finally she released a squeal, bouncing slightly on her heels. "Elphaba, guess what!" she exclaimed. Without giving the green girl a chance to answer, she blurted, "I've got a date with Fiyero Tiggelaar!"**

Elphaba glanced up at her roommate through horn-rimmed reading glasses, allowing them to slide down her nose so she could look over them. _Fiyero… _she mused silently, staring at nothing in particular while she tried to place the name. _Fiyero, Fiyero, Fiyero… oh. Right. The little Winkie prince that showed up last week in Life Sciences._

The green girl was suddenly disgusted with the blonde. The Prince? _Really?_ Of course, she could have - _should _have - expected such a thing from the shallow, hollow shell of a college socialite that stood before her. But a week? Ha! It seemed Galinda really could get down to business. Why, Elphaba would have thought that it would be maybe, oh, Lurline knows, _two_ weeks before she had the royal, walking moneybag wrapped around her attention-hungry little finger? My my my, certainly fourteen days should have been soon enough - but it hadn't even been seven.

"Hm," Elphaba snorted, her body flinching with the action. She returned her attention to her much more attention-_worthy_ book, trying to ignore the boiling that was beginning in her chest.

**The all-but sparkling girl bounced in her delight, oblivious to the static tension that practically pulsed through the dorm room. She continued. "You should have seen the looks on the other girls' **_**faces!**_** It was like I had just bought out an entire boutique and left nothing for them! They were **_**furious!**_**"**

**Galinda skipped over to her roommate, bouncing on the balls of her feet. From this angle she could see the sudden irritation that glinted in her eyes. Maybe this was one of her "don't-touch-me-don't-talk-to-me" days…. The blonde gently reached out to touch her shoulder. Her smile faded slightly, though it remained as positively radiant as ever. "Aren't you happy for me?"**

Elphaba shrugged the blonde's hand away, snapping her book shut while she glowered up at her roommate.

"I think you're pleased enough with yourself for the both of us," the green girl all but spat, rising from her bed and crossing the room to set her book on her desk.

**Galinda recoiled as if Elphaba had bitten her hand. She cradled it gently, gazing at her roommate with sad, confused eyes…. But then her resolve stiffened, and she glared just as dangerously back at the green girl. "What, I wonder, is **_**that**_** supposed to mean?" the blonde snapped.**

_**So much for progress.**_

"Like you don't _know??_" Elphaba shot back, storming across the room toward the door. What was _with_ her? Elphaba Thropp _never_ lost her cool! And yet here she was, rage burning in her chest while her eyes stung…

_EYES STUNG?!?! _What in the name of _OZMA_ was going on?!

"**What in Oz are you talking about?? I'm not a God-forbidden **_**mind-reader!!**_**" the blonde shrieked. Through her rising anger and confusion, her eyes stung with a bout of hot tears. NO. She would **_**not**_** let Elphaba see her cry. Not now. So she bit them back painfully, and shot daggers at the other girl in an attempt to break her down. "We can't all be the great and wonderful Elphaba Thropp! The girl the teachers never have problems with, the one that always gets her way!"**

**She had no idea where that even came from, nor did she really care. It didn't matter anymore.**

"What are _you_ talking about??" Elphaba cackled, willing her voice not to waver as she pushed past the little blonde to get to the door. She had to make it out, _had_ to be alone before whatever was breaking inside her shattered.

"_You're_ the one who always gets her way!" Elphaba nearly shouted, her voice louder than it had ever been during one of their fights. She didn't want to think about what that meant, opening the door to their room before turning back to glare at the blonde.

"_Look_ at me, Galinda!" she cried. "I'm _green!!_ I can't… I can't _have_ whatever I want!!"

The door slammed shut.

**Galinda flinched at the sharp sound of the door colliding with the jamb. Her anger quickly spiraled within her, rising and rising, wanting some way to **_**release**_** itself, until finally--**

"**You know what? You're **_**right!!**_** Elphaba Thropp is right again! I always get my way, and I'll be happier than you will **_**ever**_** be!!"**

**The blonde waited for an answer, only to receive nothing but silence. She stood alone, glaring at the blank door, her frustration and anger swirling like a mad vortex inside of her. But then, with nothing to feed it, the exasperation died to a slow, miserable feeling. Whatever she had fought to create between her and Elphaba was yet again compromised. Good job, Galinda.**

**Galinda fired one last glare at the door before turning away and hopping onto her bed. Still, Elphaba had no right to explode on her like that. She deserved it.**

Elphaba flew down the stairs and out the door, the tears that stung her eyes beginning to fall down her cheeks. She hissed slightly in pain, furiously wiping them away as soon as they appeared. The skin on her fingers and beneath her eyes began to glow red, however, and the green girl tried to force the tears away. It almost always worked.

Tonight, however, it didn't.

It was dark outside, and Elphaba blended in perfectly with the grass and the night in her dark nightgown. No one was around, and Elphaba thanked the Unnamed God for it as she collapsed, sobbing, onto a nearby bench. _Sobbing._ What was happening to her…?

She groaned, lying on her side and wiping at her eyes with her sleeves. The words she had shouted at her roommate rang over and over again in her head, tormenting her with their unknown meaning.

"_I'm _green_!! I can't… I can't _have_ whatever I want!!"_

What _did_ she want…?

The green girl sighed, closing her eyes and lying her arm over her face. The tears began to cease and the hurt behind her former rage began to calm, and she was thankful. She hadn't known what any of it meant, and it would have driven her crazy. If it faded, however, she could ignore it.

_Everyone breaks down. Even me, apparently. It's normal._

Elphaba took a deep breath, though her heart still ached. She felt absolutely miserable, with no logical reason why.

She didn't know how long she lay there, but the sun would come up not long before she returned to the room.

**Galinda sighed as she stepped out of her baby-blue dress, almost immediately removing her brassiere and casting it to the side as well. She was sort of happy to be able to have the room to herself for once, just as was previously arranged between her parents and the school. The blonde walked over to the wardrobe and opened its doors, pawing through it for the nightgown she wanted….**

"**You're**_** the one who always gets her way!"**_

**The blonde froze, her hand barely brushing the fabric of her favorite pink silk gown. Even with the green girl not there, the words that echoed in Galinda's head still bit at her conscience. Why did Elphaba have to be right all the time…? Even **_**she**_** could barely argue with the fact that she was too spoiled for her own good. From a young age, the blonde girl always got what she wanted, from a diamond necklace when she was five years old to the most beautiful of gowns even today.**

**But there was one thing Elphaba **_**didn't **_**get right. No one ever took Galinda seriously, and that is what she strove for the most.**

**That, however, was something that she gave up on a long time ago. No one would ever look at her like a normal person instead of a princess. Not even Elphaba, who seemed so different from everyone else….**

**The blonde sighed again as she slipped the silk nightgown over her head and onto her body. She padded over to her bed and laid down, reaching out to put out the lamp…but she stopped herself before she could touch it. **_**Elphaba might come home soon,**_** Galinda couldn't help but think. It surprised her how one moment she could hate the girl so fiercely, yet in another she could be so concerned about her…. The blonde cast a glance outside her window before curling up in her bed and closing her eyes. Within minutes she was asleep, her dreams consisting of nothing but her green roommate.**

Elphaba's eyes stared at the ground below her, her unseeing gaze almost lifeless in its dull stillness. Her hand was pressed between the seat of the bench and her green cheek, and while her eyes flickered from time to time, her brain didn't register the pebbles, the gently waving grass, or the shadows of night birds as they flew over her.

Her mind could either be moving a mile a minute, or it could be as still as she was; even Elphaba didn't know. Thoughts passed through her head, as abstract as the breeze, and she was conscious of them for no longer than the second required for them to move on their way. She supposed she thought of many things, though there were few she would remember. One of these, which stood out above the rest, was the undeniable fact that while Galinda had somehow been the initial cause of her rage, it wasn't the blonde herself that Elphaba was upset with. That confused her…

Suddenly she sat up, as if awakening from sleep. She glanced to the moon, which was high among the stars, and rubbed her swollen eyes. The green girl looked up to their dorm room window, her heart dropping when she realized that the light was still on.

Galinda was still awake…

She sat for what felt like hours, watching the window and willing it to go black. The blonde couldn't see her this way… But try as she might, Elphaba could barely keep her eyes open. She wasn't sure if Galinda had been able to either, but before long the raven-haired girl was almost too tired to care. She picked herself up off the bench, yawning while she shuffled into the building and up the steps to her shared room. No matter what was going on between her and her roommate, she _refused_ to let it irritate her sleeping patterns, and thus her performance in class tomorrow.

Elphaba pressed a green ear to the crack of the door, listening intently for any sound coming from inside. The hall was silent and lifeless, and, apparently, so was her room. Her verdant fingers rested on the doorknob for a moment or two before turning it slowly, careful to keep the door from creaking as she opened it.

Her eyes immediately fell on Galinda's form, curled in her pink monster of a bed, her side rising and falling rhythmically. She _looked _asleep…

Elphaba slipped silently into the room, closing the door with a nearly inaudible _click_. She tiptoed over to Galinda's bed, peering down to get a good look at her face. Her heart caught momentarily in her chest, and her eyes softened at the sight of the blonde. Her curls lay strewn over the pillow in every which way, her cheek gently smooshed by the weight of her head and her full pink lips gently parted as she breathed. Try as she might, Elphaba couldn't deny that the sight before her was nothing short of adorable… beautiful, even.

With no one around to see, the green girl let a small smile creep onto her face. Slender fingers reached out to gently stroke the golden waves, trailing over Galinda's flushed cheek when they pulled away. Taking one last glance at her sleeping roommate, Elphaba stood to put out the lamp and quietly slip into her own bed.


	7. I'm So Sick

_Hi, everyone! Kirra and I are back with a new update and yet another excuse for our absence... we finally met. Yep, she came up here to Illinois and I got to meet my baby! :D We were together for a whole week, and frankly we were much too busy having fun to update. I won't even try to surgarcoat it. :P But now we're back, and here's the next chapter! Enjoy!_

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**Fire.**

**Galinda lay bound on her mattress, her eyes shut tight, as the incessant flames licked at her skin. She wanted to scream, to call out for help—**_**where is Elphaba?**_**—but her throat felt tight and swollen. Surely her roommate would be able to see what was going on, see that their room was ablaze and that Galinda was rendered immobile….**

**Unless Elphaba had already escaped without her.**

**The blonde jumped, her eyes flying open and her body jerking upward as she finally broke from her dream. She flinched as the bright sunlight assaulted her eyes; she shut them as a means to avoid it. But then her body revolted, bringing forth the details of her nightmare along with **_**pain….**_

**It was then when she realized that this wasn't a dream. A dull throbbing blossomed in her head and began to throb; her stomach felt like it was being stabbed repeatedly; her throat was burning; and her body…. Galinda curled into a tight ball, whimpering at the pain her joints experienced. The fire that consumed her grew to unreasonable heights, making her shiver. She pulled the covers tighter around her, pondering how heat could make her act like she was freezing. "Elphaba," she rasped; a thousand tiny needles pricked the inside of her throat. She coughed soon after, which made the sensations so much **_**worse**_**.**

**She couldn't remember the last time she felt like this. She didn't think she **_**ever**_** felt like this. **_**Karma,**_** the voice in the back of her head whispered, and Galinda glanced over to where her green roommate slept. Instead of feeling hatred toward the girl, she felt nothing but deep shame for the way she had treated her.**

_**If I had treated her better, maybe this wouldn't have happened….**_

**While Galinda wasn't religious or even remotely superstitious, she did rely heavily on the holy doctrine of "what goes around comes around," and right now she felt as miserable as ever.**

**The pain in her stomach and head grew to an agonizing crescendo. She whimpered, pulling herself tighter. "Elphaba," she whined, wincing at the pain in her throat. "Please wake up…?"**

Elphaba groaned softly, rolling onto her back. She often slept lightly in the morning, when she knew her alarm was about to go off, but this morning was different… she felt like she had barely gotten to bed. Why…?

Then she remembered. She had been… out… most of the night.

The green girl nearly returned to sleep when Galinda's voice came again, quiet and raspy. Her fuzzy brain realized that it must have been her roommate who woke her. She stretched, noting that it was almost time to get up anyway, and began to quickly regain consciousness. It could definitely be said that Elphaba was a morning person.

"What is it?" she asked softly, their recent fight forgotten for the moment.

**The blonde coughed again, this time harder. Ugh, she **_**hated**_** this! Couldn't the Unnamed God or whoever was in charge of bad luck curse her with a bad hair day? Maybe even a worse day at school? Something **_**else**_** to teach her a lesson?? This was much too painful!**

**She swallowed thickly, whining quietly at the sharp pain that resulted. "I don't feel too good," she responded, her voice barely a whisper. Tears pricked at the corner of her eyes. This was so frustrating!!**

Elphaba's chocolate eyes opened, a slight frown pulling at her mouth. She regarded the blonde carefully, and a sort of protective, motherly instinct came over her. Needless to say, she and Galinda weren't at all close, but she _was_ her roommate… Besides, Elphaba had seen a side of her that perhaps no one else had. She knew that person - the _real_ Galinda - was in there somewhere. And that girl needed her help.

She sat up, stretching again before stepping into her slippers and crossing to the blonde's bed. She sat carefully on the edge, pressing her palm, and then the back of her hand, to Galinda's forehead. She felt like an oven, and sweat had beaded on her brow.

"What hurts?"

**Galinda sighed at the feel of her roommate's hand on her forehead. Compared to her feverish skin, Elphaba's hand felt like Heaven—cool but not freezing, and **_**soft…. **_**The blonde all but arched toward her touch, aching to find the relief that had momentarily reached her. "Everything," she answered in a small whimper. She fought to keep her tears at bay—she heard of the damage that water did to her roommate—but she found that she wasn't too successful. She bit her lip. "Make it stop…."**

Elphaba's frown deepened, hearing the quietness and strain in Galinda's voice. She pressed her hand to both of the blonde's cheeks in turn, feeling heat from there as well. Galinda's entire face was flushed, and Elphaba could see her throat work to swallow. She tilted her head, pulling her hand away. She had a pretty good idea of what was going on… She and Nessa had both had strep throat chronically. Her roommate was the perfect reflection of everything that Elphaba had felt during those times, and how Nessarose had looked when _she _was sick.

"Open as wide as you can, and try to keep your tongue pressed down so I can see your throat," the green girl instructed calmly. She went to the nightstand between their beds, where she often kept a book light.

**Galinda frowned when Elphaba pulled away from her--she almost pulled the green girl's hand back. But she let her roommate go to her side of the room to look for…whatever it was she was looking for. **_**She'll be back,**_** she told herself, though Elphaba's departure brought on a strange frustration and loneliness. **_**She'll be back. She's not leaving you….**_

**The blonde huddled closer in her covers, shivering violently, before the intense heat returned and she was forced to kick them off. Galinda whimpered at the ache in her joints and was sorely tempted to curl into a tight little ball to escape from everything…. She lay still nonetheless, pouting and with light tears running down her cheeks.**

_**I don't like this….**_

**Galinda glanced over at her roommate, silently wondering about her sudden dependence on the other girl. No longer did she feel an intense hatred toward her. Frustration, yes, but not hatred. In fact…the way she felt about Elphaba was stronger and more meaningful than what she felt toward all of her friends combined. How strange….**

Elphaba silently retrieved her book light, returning to her place at Galinda's side. It was odd how that had suddenly _become_ her place, but whatever had come over her - instinct, perhaps? - was very strong. She assumed it was because of all the times she had cared for her sister when Nessa had strep, and because at one point, however short it was, she had seen the true Galinda. Plus, it wouldn't surprise her if she was the only person in all of _Oz_ who had seen the blonde like that.

She flicked the light on, resting her weight on one hand next to Galinda's own while she leaned over her.

"Open up," she said softly, poising the light over the rose-colored lips. "And remember to keep your tongue down."

**Galinda eyed the light carefully, then glanced back at Elphaba. The patience and knowledge that overflowed from the green girl's eyes calmed her. She worked out the tension in her jaw and slowly opened her mouth, whimpering softly as her throat momentarily burned. And, like Elphaba instructed, she kept her tongue down.**

The green girl shone the light expertly into her roommate's mouth, wincing at what she saw there. The blonde's tonsils were bright red, and nothing short of _humongous_. She was surprised the girl could even swallow. She pulled back, turning off the light. It was exactly as she suspected.

"Strep throat," she said, getting up from the bed. She went first into the bathroom, wondering for a moment how she would get a cold compress onto Galinda's head without burning her hands… someone else had always been there to do it for Nessa, but now she was on her own.

After a moment's consideration, she retrieved a washcloth and Galinda's shower cap. After running cold water onto the cloth, she carefully wrung it out and folded it through the cap, careful not to get any of the toxic fluid on her skin. She smiled softly at Galinda while she came back into the bedroom, brushing blonde curls away from her forehead before lying the washcloth there.

"I'll go down to the café and get you some hot cocoa, Miss Galinda. I'll bring back Nessa's nurse as well; she's diagnosed strep throat many times before. She can get you the antibiotics that you need." Elphaba rose to grab her cloak, folding it over her arm.

**The blonde sighed softly at the feel of the cold compress bring placed on her forehead. She could just barely make out what Elphaba was saying. Something about hot cocoa and…Nessa's purse…? Anti-bionics…?**

**Galinda began to feel dizzy all of a sudden. She closed her eyes and let out a weak moan. "Mmkay, Elphie…," she sighed, her throat grating against the sound. Her strength was fading…. She had never felt so sleepy before….**

Elphaba paused abruptly, her verdant fingers frozen on the doorknob. Elphie? Was that what Galinda had just called her? She looked back at the exhausted blonde, her chest rising and falling rhythmically. The green girl couldn't help but allow a tiny smile creep onto her face. The smaller girl looked so adorable when she slept… but she was currently very sick. The smile faded while Elphaba left the room. Galinda needed her help more than she had before.

Elphaba took one last look at the blonde before stealing out of the room, donning her cloak while she hurried down to the café, and to Nessarose's room.


	8. What is this Feeling?

_Kirra has officially started her senior year, and I've begun college! And yet, we haven't forgotten about you guys. Thanks SO much for all the reviews; you guys are the BEST!! New chapters all around!!_

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Elphaba returned a short while later, a steaming cup of hot chocolate in her hands. She closed the door quietly, her gaze immediately going to Galinda's bed. The blonde was still there, sleeping quietly. Good.

The green girl hung up her cloak, silently crossing the room to sit down on her roommate's bed. She set the cocoa down on the nightstand, trading it for the shower cap that lay there. Gently she felt the compress that rested on Galinda's head; it was as hot now as the skin beneath it.

Elphaba sighed softly, almost pitying her roommate. Strep throat, put lightly, was no fun at all. She took the washcloth into the bathroom to rinse it with cold water again, coming back to lay the fresh, cool material on Galinda's forehead.

**There was no such thing as darkness behind her closed eyelids. There was only red light, heat, burning through her mind in a ceaseless torture. It was **_**maddening**_**….**

**Galinda flinched—consciously or subconsciously, she wasn't sure—when she felt something ice-cold settle on her searing flesh. She moaned softly in her pleasure nonetheless, thanking the Unnamed God and all that existed that she was able to feel something other than **_**fire.**_** However, it did nothing to soothe the ache in her throat or the dryness in her mouth; if anything it enhanced it. The blonde whimpered, her eyes barely opening.**

**There was Elphaba looking over her. Galinda simply looked at her for a moment, not knowing what to say. What was there **_**to**_** say to someone whom she had gotten in a fight with only the night before? "Thank you," she grated out despite the tension that she felt develop within herself. She closed her eyes again, sighing. "You don't have to…."**

Elphaba smiled softly, gently brushing the blonde curls away from the washcloth with slender, verdant fingers.

"Don't talk," she soothed, her fingers running sympathetically over Galinda's cheek. "Sit up," she said softly, reaching for the cocoa. "This will help your throat."

**The blonde shivered involuntarily at her roommate's touch, almost leaning toward her fingers. She stopped herself from doing so; she instead forced herself to pay attention to Elphaba's words and act accordingly. Galinda strained herself into a sitting position, whimpering at the pain that laced each movement her body made, and allowed her eyes to run down the length of the green girl's arm to the mug that rested on her bedside table. Her eyes lit up. Not disgusting medicine, not a potion of some sort, but hot cocoa? **_**The girl is a saint,**_** the blonde couldn't help but think.**

Elphaba passed the drink to her roommate, meeting her eyes for a split second before looking away. Taking care of her was one thing, but anything beyond that was still awkward… especially when the green girl was still unsure as to what exactly was going on.

"Careful," she said, looking down at her hands and playing with them almost nervously. It was weird, so weird… They were supposed to DETEST each other… But Galinda had always intrigued her; Elphaba couldn't deny it. Even in the midst of loathing, a part of her had been drawn to the blonde. At the most basic level, her roommate interested her. And although it scared her to death to pursue that interest, the taller girl forced herself to look back up at Galinda.

"It's hot," she cautioned.

**Galinda grasped the mug carefully; the scent of chocolate engulfed her senses, followed by the smell of sandalwood that transferred from Elphaba's skin. She could feel her roommate's gaze on her as she brought the ceramic container to her lips. As she took a sip of the cocoa, she noticed for the first time that Elphaba's eyes were the same color and consistency of the liquid that filled her cup. The blonde was always one to notice people's eyes first before anything else. With this realization, Galinda felt another pang of guilt hit her.**

**She barely tasted the hot chocolate as she thought about her earlier treatment toward the green girl. She hated how she always treated Elphaba as less than human when right now the green girl was **_**helping**_** her instead of leaving her to suffer. Now was the time when things had to change. She should be kinder to Elphaba instead of keeping her at a distance. She should treat her as a friend rather than just someone she talked to….**

**She cautiously put the mug to the side, licking her lips before looking into Elphaba's chocolate-colored eyes. The blonde smiled softly at her. "Thank you," she whispered as she laid back down; she ignored the searing pain that ripped at her throat. She once again snuggled into her covers, a new sort of relief passing over her. She would be alright as long as Elphaba was with her.**

**Galinda yawned…but then she felt something assault her throat. She wrinkled her nose, trying to force it back, to no avail. A series of horrible coughs suddenly escaped her, shaking her body with their intensity. She whimpered, burying her face in her pillow when they were over. Oh, how she **_**hated**_** this!**

Elphaba gently returned Glinda's smile, trying unsuccessfully to keep a light blush from her cheeks at the blonde's thanks. She went back to toying with her fingers while Galinda laid down, and she could almost feel the relief coming off the blonde.

Her head shot up, however, as deep, scratching coughs wracked her roommate's body. She placed a hand on Galinda's back, rubbing in small circles while she looked on worriedly, unable to do anything but watch. She wished she could do more… Elphaba was hardly conscious of the wish, much less the reason for it, but she wished she could help…

Her small, soothing backrub continued after the coughing fit ceased, a small whimper rising from the blonde. Elphaba's heart twisted with sympathy. She knew exactly how Galinda felt.

**The blonde slowly felt relief come to her as Elphaba rubbed her back, as well as appreciation for what the green girl was doing. She smiled softly into the pillow, sighing. She couldn't bring herself to say anything--her throat felt like thousands of needles were cutting through it. The only thing she had the strength to do was reach over to gently rest her hand on Elphaba's free one and lightly squeeze it.**

**A small spark went through her--more of a tingly feeling, really--at the contact. Galinda paused, wondering for just a moment what this was all about. But she then let it be, and she resumed gently stroking the cool flesh. It was probably due to her not being used to physical contact. Although she **_**was**_** the most popular girl in school, that rarely meant that anyone could **_**touch **_**her…. It was sad how she could be such a recluse in that way, but that was how life went, she supposed.**

Elphaba bit back a gasp when Galinda touched her, one whose origins were as clear as the Quadling marshes. At the same instant as her roommate, the electricity jolted through her body, shortening her breath in a barely noticeable way for only a moment. She blinked in surprise and confusion, unknowingly chalking up the reaction to the same thing as the blonde did - she was unaccustomed to other's touches, for reasons much more obvious than those of her roommate. Galinda squeezed her hand gently, and Elphaba tentatively squeezed back, her mind racing. What on earth…?

A brisk knock came at the door, interrupting Elphaba's thoughts. She absentmindedly squeezed Galinda's hand once more before getting up cross the room and open the door for the nurse standing behind it.

"I assume this is the patient?" the nurse asked, and Elphaba merely nodded. The brunette gave Galinda what was supposed to be a reassuring smile while she dug through her bags. Her hand finally emerged, closed around what looked to be a single-ended, very long Q-tip.

"Miss Elphaba tells me that she thinks you have strep throat, and I have every reason to believe her. You should have seen her and her sister when they were younger," the nurse chuckled, taking Elphaba's previous seat at the blonde's side. "They had it all the time! I mean, really, I may as well have lived at the house, always caring for one or the other… of course Nessa, the poor dear, was much more frail than your roommate here," she continued. Elphaba's cheeks flushed a deep pine at this retelling of her childhood, wishing her nurse wasn't always so outgoing and generous with her personal information.

"Now, open up," the nurse coaxed, the Q-tip ready in her fingers.

**Galinda eyed the cotton swab carefully, then looked up at the nurse. She raised her eyebrow, a trademark antic of her anti-social roommate that she just happened to pick up on. "You're kidding me," she rasped out, wincing slightly at the pain she felt.**

Elphaba bit back a smile at the look on Galinda's face. Her arched eyebrow and wary eyes made the green girl both want to laugh and also to make sure that whatever was causing the blonde to be wary would be dealt with and eradicated. Elphaba tilted her head for a moment, considering her confusing feelings. Was this what it felt like when you had a friend?

_Galinda and I…? Friends…?_

At first glance, the thought seemed utterly ridiculous. But then, upon closer inspection… things certainly had changed between them over the past few weeks. Maybe, despite - or was it because of? - their best efforts, they were slowly becoming… friends.

"It'll only hurt for a moment," the nurse assured Galinda; Elphaba sighed as her thoughts were again shattered. "And your friend is right here."

Okay, although she had begun to consider it, the green girl was definitely quite uncomfortable for the relationship… or whatever was between her and her roommate… to be publicly referred to as a friendship.

"Open up," the nurse again insisted, and Elphaba stood by with Galinda's hot cocoa. She knew all too well the pains and ailments of strep throat, and she knew that having cotton swiped over your tonsils would definitely NOT help.

Elphaba gave the blonde a soft, reassuring smile, hesitating before gently touching her fingers to Galinda's. She supposed she could try, at least, to have a friend.

**Galinda blushed lightly. **_**And your friend is right here….**_** It was strange how the notion of them being friends, when actually put into words, could make her feel so **_**warm**_**…. With Misses Pfannee and Shenshen there was always a sort of hesitation, like the word should never really apply to them. But with Elphaba…. The blonde looked up at the green girl, pondering what she really felt about their relationship changing so suddenly. Treating her kindly was one thing. But to actually treat her like a close companion and confide in her with everything…was she really willing to cross the lines into that territory?**

_**Yes**_**, was the answer automatically spoken in her mind, and she didn't have the strength to argue, so she left it at that.**

**Galinda saw the corners of Elphaba's mouth quirk up in a smile—the warmth she originally felt spread throughout her body. She felt her roommate's fingers brush her own, and she smiled as well. This could definitely work out.**

**She eyed the cotton swab again and wrinkled her nose. The sacrifices that must be made…. Galinda squeezed her eyes shut and opened her mouth wide with a small noise of protest. Something told her that she was **_**not**_** gonna like this. **

The nurse quickly swiped the cotton over Galinda's inflamed tonsils, and Elphaba squeezed the pale hand involuntarily. She thrust the mug forward as soon as the brunette pulled the swab back, unknowing of the sympathetic wince that was upon her face.

"There," the nurse smiled. "All done. I'll take this down to the nursing lab for testing, and I'll come back with antibiotics if it's positive." The door closed with a quiet _click_ as she left the pair, Elphaba swiftly sitting in her former place at Galinda's bedside.

**Galinda almost gagged as the cotton swab roughly swiped her tonsils. As soon as it left her mouth she ducked her head away from either person and coughed violently. She was vaguely aware of any words, any movements, anything at all as she was suddenly left to deal with her own pain….**

**There was a dip in the bed, most likely from the weight of another person. The blonde looked up at Elphaba, her eyes stinging with tears. There was sympathy in her chocolate-colored eyes, a sympathy that Galinda would have never acknowledged if she had chosen to simply stay out of the green girl's life. But seeing it now made her feel both strong and weak all at once. Once again there was nothing to say, but for the first time it bothered her.**

"Here," Elphaba said softly, handing Galinda the cocoa. Her heart went out to the poor little blonde. She was so sick… Elphaba's tonsils had been removed at a young age, but not before she had had strep throat numerous times. The surgery ended the chronic illness, but the pains and symptoms were firmly embedded in her mind.

**Galinda looked at the mug of hot chocolate that still rested in Elphaba's hands. She gently took it with a nod of thanks and began to drink from it. The warm liquid helped to soothe her throat only a little, but it was better than having nothing at all. With her other hand she pressed her fingers to the skin of Elphaba's palm, tracing soft patterns on it. Her eyes returned to the green girl's, and she set the mug down. "Why are you helping me," the blonde whispered, "when you could get sick as well?"**

Elphaba smiled softly, fighting back a shiver while Galinda's fingers moved over her palm. The green girl wasn't sure if she was ticklish or not… it wasn't like anyone had ever tried to find out.

"I can't," she explained, her voice low and quiet. "Nessa and I had it all the time, as I'm sure you've gathered." She rolled her eyes, silently wishing that she had nurse that didn't know _everything_ about her childhood. "I had to have my tonsils removed when I was twelve. That took care of it."

She looked down at the hand that wasn't holding Galinda's, feeling very awkward. What more could she say? It was so much less complicated when they loathed each other… but surprisingly, the green girl didn't miss that at all.

**The blonde nodded. She looked down at the half-empty mug and frowned. "That's…tragic," she whispered. Galinda bit her lip. What else could she say to follow that? Of course, everything about the green girl spelled "tragedy"….**

**A yawn suddenly escaped her. She shook her head to rid herself of the air of exhaustion that struggled to claim her. She couldn't fall asleep—she had to get **_**well**_** as soon as possible. There were so many things to do….**

_**Fiyero**_**.**

**Galinda frowned. He could screw himself for all she cared. She only claimed him as a partner to the Ozdust just to prove that she could. But that didn't negate the fact that there were so many things that had to be done in so little time. So little time….**

Elphaba cleared her throat softly, toying with her fingers. An awkward silence loomed over the pair, and the green girl felt compelled to fill it. She opened her mouth to speak - what she would say was still unknown - but then Galinda's own lips parted in a yawn.

Elphaba patted her hand. "You should get some sleep," she suggested, standing with the half-empty mug. Most likely it wasn't warm anymore, and Galinda would surely need some more by the time she woke up.

**Galinda shook her head slowly, the weight of sleep quickly catching up with her. Her eyes drooped closed, and she felt herself collapse onto the mattress. The darkness pulled her deeper toward unconsciousness against her will. Although…sleep **_**did**_** sound pretty nice….**

**The blonde curled into a tiny ball in the center of her bed. She sighed softly. "Stay with me," she whispered before she realized what she was saying. But the words were out. There was nothing she could do but wait for Elphaba's response as the blonde drifted toward slumber.**

Elphaba performed what could only be described as a double take when Galinda's request finally registered in her head. It wasn't exactly like she had _planned_ on leaving, but the blonde's humble appeal surprised her nonetheless. The cocoa momentarily forgotten, the green girl picked up her latest criticism of Animal psychology and sat down among her own scarce, dull sheets. She stared at the blonde for a moment, but the confusion and emotion of the past few days threatened as a dark cloud pressing in on the edges of her mind. Elphaba pushed it away, absently removing her worn bookmark from its place among the pages. Galinda was right. The blonde needed her, and Elphaba should be there when she woke up.


	9. Where I've Always Been

_Wow, it's been quite a while. Sorry about the wait, but this is how we distinguish the tried-and-true readers from those who say "eh, they haven't updated in two weeks. OLAL is dead."_

_That said, congratulations to you who are reading this! You have stood the test. Rest assured, valued fans, that Kirra and I love this story too much to EVER let it die. No matter how busy we get._

_Without further ado, here is Chapter 9!_

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**A small rap came at the door, and the green girl quickly rose from her bed. She placed the bookmark in her book, dropping it on the bed while she quickly answered the door. The nurse stepped in, and Elphaba raised a lone finger to her lips, nodding towards the crumpled blonde heap among endless pink blankets. Although Galinda had been sleeping for a few hours now, Elphaba didn't want her deep slumber to be disturbed. Sleep was as good of a medicine as the antibiotics the nurse handed her before quietly departing. **

**Elphaba sighed, glancing down at the bottle of pills. Each time she saw them, their size baffled her. They seemed rather large to prescribe for someone whose throat was nearly sealed shut. But she knew they would help, and that with a bit of hot cocoa, they would go down more easily than it seemed they would. The green girl read the instructions on the bottle, then looked up at the clock. Galinda had slept through the afternoon and into the evening, and some supper with an antibiotic do nicely right about now.**

**Still hesitant to disturb her roommate, the green girl placed the bottle on the nightstand, then carefully sat down among the sea of pink fabric that adorned the blonde's bed.**

**Galinda stirred slightly, the feel of another presence breaking her from her rest. She groaned quietly in protest. Weakness still tugged at her, almost crushing her. Just five more minutes. That was all she needed….**

**Suddenly she felt a dull pain develop at the back of her throat. The blonde groaned again, curling even further into herself. She **_**hated**_** this. There was a reason her parents made her avoid too much contact with people, and this was one of them, she realized. People were infested with diseases, her father preached. It was a wonder they didn't force her to become a recluse.**

**The bed dipped slightly beside her, bringing her almost completely from unconsciousness. Galinda opened her eyes slightly to look at her roommate. She allowed herself to smile softly through the pain that suddenly increased throughout her body. "Hey, Elphie," she murmured, her head pounding. She then frowned, realizing what she had just called her roommate. A little odd coming from her, especially when they weren't even that close yet…. But she let it linger anyway. She shivered slightly. "What time is it…?"**

Elphaba almost smiled at the nickname, her lips twitching slightly. She didn't mind. "Elphie," while definitely the strangest thing anyone had ever called her, was almost quite… endearing. The green girl pressed her hand to Galinda's forehead and cheeks, frowning when she found them to still be quite hot. The actual touch no longer bothered her as much; it was easy to take care of her roommate like she had done with her sister for so many years. When all the social statuses and makeup and masks faded, it was easy to see Galinda as the actual human being that she was - one that somebody like Elphaba had been practically trained to take care of.

"It's about seven," she answered quietly, taking up the thermometer from the bedside table. "I was thinking about maybe getting you something from the café so that you could take the antibiotics the nurse brought while you were asleep… and more cocoa, of course." The green girl smiled softly, poising the glass tube over her roommate's full lips.

**Galinda wrinkled her nose at the thought of medicine. The food and the cocoa she didn't mind at all. She'd welcome those as the cure for cancer. But medicine…. **_**Yuck.**_

**The blonde felt the cool glass tip of the thermometer gently brush her lips, and she pouted. This wasn't fair! She learned her lesson; she accepted Elphaba now! Why must she go through this still? Galinda sniffled, yet she opened her mouth to let the thermometer inside. **_**Lurline help me**_**, she silently pleaded, though she was pretty sure the deity would continue to abandon her rather than do anything about this.**

_**But…. **_

**As she lay there with the glass tube tucked securely under her tongue, Galinda noticed once again that there was a good thing that came out of this. At least she got to mend a few bridges with someone she never thought she'd ever consider talking to. At least she and Elphaba didn't hate each other anymore….**

_**Well, I don't hate **_**her,**_** anyway.**_

After her little blonde roommate accepted the glass tube into her mouth, Elphaba carefully took the now-dry washcloth from the bed, where it had fallen off among the sheets sometime during Galinda's nap.

With the shower-cap fully protecting her hands, the green girl sighed while she ran fresh, cold water into the cloth. From the feel of Galinda's warm skin, her fever had yet to break. Elphaba felt another twinge of sympathy for the blonde. She knew she felt miserable, and she certainly _looked _miserable. Elphaba hoped - sincerely hoped - that after some supper and medication the smaller girl would be able to sleep through the night and feel at least a _little _better in the morning.

She returned to their bedroom, trading the cool compress for the thermometer still jutting from the blonde's mouth. The fever had barely budged, Elphaba noted while she lay the washcloth on Galinda's burning forehead. The sooner they got antibiotics in her, however, the sooner it would break.

"What do you feel up to eating?"

**Galinda sighed at the feel of the cold compress against her forehead, reveling in the change of scalding heat to almost ice. She allowed her eyes to slip closed, her body almost completely relaxing regardless of the dull throb in her head and throat…. They opened again, however, at the sound of Elphaba's voice. Something about food…. Her stomach growled at the thought, and she licked her lips. Nothing in particular sounded all that interesting as she thought about it. All she knew was that she was starving….**

"**Maybe just a sandwich?" she offered, her blue eyes turning to her roommate. She blinked twice. Elphaba suddenly looked more **_**emerald**_** instead of a sickly green color. Maybe it was because of the light…. Galinda yawned, her eyes closing again. "A sandwich sounds nice…."**

Elphaba nodded, sitting down again at Galinda's side. She cast a wayward glance at her desk - she still had some homework to do, but she supposed that could wait until Galinda had eaten and taken her medicine.

"Maybe some soup would do nicely to chase it down…" the green girl thought aloud. "Soup and a sandwich?" she offered, feeling awkward for the umpteenth time about caring for her roommate of all people. Sure, caring for Nessa had been drilled into her since her sister was born, but her skills didn't change the identity of the person in her current care.

**Galinda wrinkled her nose at the thought of soup; it wasn't exactly one of her favorite foods. But she didn't want to offend Elphaba. She was trying so hard to help her—it would be rude of her to decline. She nodded her head slowly, sighing. "That would be nice," she said with a small smile. "Thank you…."**

**Each time she said those two words, a tiny bit of the animosity she felt—or used to feel, she corrected herself—chipped away. Now she was left with almost nothing of her old feelings and opening up to the possibility of there being something more to her relationship with Elphaba. And now she was beginning to see that hating her for no reason was absolutely ridiculous. Sure, she ruined one of her favorite outfits and was so cold and heartless toward her…. But that could be overlooked, right?**

Elphaba's eyes dropped at the apparent disgust written on the blonde's face, however mildly it seemed to show. She supposed that she couldn't blame her… of course someone as high-standing and gorgeous as Galinda - even when sick, Elphaba had to admit - wouldn't exactly prefer to be cared for and waited upon by someone, well… green. The raven-haired girl mentally chided herself, suddenly feeling quite ridiculous. Of course it was easy for _her_ to picture her roommate as a friend, who in Shiz couldn't? But it would definitely be one-sided. Of course it would. Why hadn't she thought of that earlier? It wasn't like her life was at all _teeming_ with laughter and friendships.

Elphaba's cheeks darkened slightly, embarrassed by her own stupidity. The fact that she was drawn to Galinda meant nothing on the other end, and the fact that Galinda was almost entirely dependent on her meant just as much. Of course the blonde would depend on her. She was bedridden, and Elphaba was her roommate. She probably dreaded every moment of being in such close proximity with someone so… so _disgusting. _The cordiality, the near-friendliness - it would all end when Galinda was back in perfect health, back in her right mind.

"I'll be right back, then," the green girl murmured, rising to leave. As she closed the door behind her, Elphaba Thropp suddenly felt very small, and very, very foolish.

**The blonde frowned at the tone in Elphaba's voice as she got up. There was something about it that unsettled her, though she couldn't quite place it…. Galinda settled back on her mattress, her mind trying and failing to figure out the cause for Elphaba's unease. She knew it was **_**something**_** like that—the green girl looked so upset about something…. Did Galinda offend her? She bit her lip, trying to think past the pain and into the events of literally five minutes ago. She hoped she didn't. She would have to apologize when Elphaba got back.**

**Right after a nap….**

**Galinda yawned, turning onto her side as best as she could without disturbing the compress or causing her body to ache. Her eyes closed again, sighing as she allowed the remaining strength she had to fade away. Darkness met her, and she joined it willingly, falling into the depths of unconsciousness once again and allowing the brightly-colored chaotic dreams to take over….**


	10. Dream On

_I'm so sorry for the wait, everyone! My first semester of college was pretty crazy, especially towards the end. BUt I'm on Christmas break now, and Kirra will be soon, so we'll have plenty of time to write. And, like I always say: no matter how long it takes, this story will NEVER die. We love it too much, and we hope you do too. :) Enjoy chapter 10!_

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It felt like forever that Elphaba was standing in the line at the café, probably because of the thoughts tearing through her mind like a runaway freight train. She allowed them to diminish, however, as she approached the counter.

"A turkey meat sandwich, please, a hot chocolate, and chicken noodle soup," the green girl ordered, handing a bill to the cashier. After receiving her food and change, she turned and headed back to the room where Galinda was waiting.

She sighed again at the thought of the blonde, trying to decipher the magnetism the girl seemed to hold over her. Then again, she seemed to hold such an attraction over _everyone_ at Shiz… Elphaba was disappointed and a bit frustrated to be among their number. She knew she shouldn't let such things affect her, and she was now determined not to do so again.

The green girl balanced the tray in one hand, turning the knob gently with the other. Things would go back to normal after Galinda was well, she was sure. And she could live with that. She placed the tray on the bedside table, sighing while she looked at the little blonde who was asleep, yet again, in her bed. Elphaba really did hate to wake her, but she needed her medicine…

"Miss Galinda…" she coaxed softly, placing the food on her own lap. "Miss Galinda, I'm back…"

_**Galinda sighed softly as she lay amongst the green and orange flowers that littered the surrounding field. The pink and yellow grasses tickled her skin as they brushed against her, ruffled gently by the crisp, light breeze that carried multi-colored leaves, each the color of the rainbow. While these strange images surprised her--especially of the blood-red sky painted with lavender clouds and the azure sunlight that reflected off of them--she couldn't help but feel a familiar sense of belonging, like this was **_**right.**_** The heavy scent of poppies lulled her into a deeper feeling of contentment. Never before had she felt so free, so relaxed….**_

_**It was wonderful, she had to admit, being in such strangely beautiful scenery by herself. No one to bother her. No one to say that she couldn't act that way for this reason. No Boq, no Fiyero, no Elphaba…. Wait. Elphaba was here. Elphaba was always with her, letting Galinda lay with her head in her lap, gently stroking her blonde curls. Galinda sighed happily at the attention. She could live with this….**_

"_**Miss Galinda…. Miss Galinda, I'm back…."**_

_**Back? The blonde blinked up at the expressionless green girl. She wished she'd show emotion around her. She hated that everyone else was fake--not Elphaba, too. "Elphie," she whispered; her voice echoed in the field. "Elphie, what do you mean?"**_

_**The green girl looked down at her, but suddenly she wasn't Elphaba. She was a green-skinned demon with violet eyes lined with blood and jagged, sharp teeth. She grinned wickedly, giving forth a dark, twisted laugh. Galinda screamed, but it was broken as those viscous teeth tore into her--**_

"**NO!!"**

**Galinda's eyes snapped open, widening in the fear that gripped every fiber of her being. A hand reflexively went to her neck, expecting to find teeth marks and the skin coated with blood. But she felt that it was perfectly intact…. Her wary cerulean eyes darted all over the field…which wasn't a field but a room. **_**Her**_** room. Galinda shivered in both fright and the cold, pulling her blanket closer. There was no sight of the demon…. She was safe.**

**Or not.**

**Her eyes caught a flash of emerald, and she jumped. The blonde scurried to the other side of the bed, her eyes never leaving the green demon. Her heart was still--she couldn't breathe. She could only whimper and pray to the Unnamed God that she would remain safe and alive.**

_**Where is Elphaba?**_

Elphaba flinched at Galinda's sudden shout, nearly spilling her soup. She was too stunned to do anything but watch, eyes wide, while a pale hand flew to the blonde's neck, a soft clap resonating from the site of skin slapping skin. She was so jumpy, and she trembled while she pulled the blanket around her…

Her shock subsided, and Elphaba realized after a moment of thought that it must have been a nightmare that had gotten her roommate into such a state. The green girl wanted to comfort the blonde, to tell her that whatever had frightened her had only been a dream. All previous thoughts aside, she set the tray on the table and went to reach out her hand to lay it gently on Galinda's arm…

This time they both jumped, as Galinda seemed to notice her for the first time. Galinda hurriedly scooted as far away as possible without falling off the bed, watching Elphaba carefully with huge blue eyes filled with fear and panic. The green girl placed her hand back in her lap, simply giving Galinda a moment to come back to reality… when nothing changed in the blonde's demeanor, Elphaba quietly spoke.

"Miss Galinda, it's me… it was only a nightmare," she reassured her softly, restating recent events in an attempt to help her roommate return to Oz from… wherever she had been. "You've been sick, and I went to get you some supper, and while I was gone you fell asleep…" She trailed off, not sure what else to say. Elphaba bit back a sigh, very aware that she was not very good at comforting.

**Galinda flinched when Elphaba's gaze turned on her, her body stiffening as she prepared to meet dark, violent purple-red eyes. The images of her dream flashed in her mind, torturing her with the deception of what the green girl really was…. But the eyes were different. Instead of being blank and staring at first before transforming, they were a cautious dark brown that held reassurance rather than malice. The blonde gazed at her suspiciously, unsure whether to trust her. "Elphaba…?" she asked in a whisper; she winced at the needles that pierced the back of her throat. Slowly she reached out to touch the green girl's hand, fully prepared for the attack that would come.**

**A spark went through her at the contact, and she couldn't help but relax a bit. This was Elphaba. She was almost completely certain of it.**

Elphaba felt her body stiffen the moment Galinda touched her hand. For a split second she wondered why this was so, when earlier in the day she had touched the blonde without a second thought. Her thoughts quickly wheeled in _that_ direction. Why had she touched her roommate without the stiffening feeling she was feeling now?

_Because you were being stupid._

The green girl mentally cringed, knowing the thought was true. She knew better now, whether Galinda had meant to give it away or not. But if this was what she had to go through to attempt friendships with others, it certainly wasn't worth it. Elphaba pulled her hand away, reaching for the tray she had abandoned just moments ago.

"Here," was all she said, avoiding Galinda's eyes.

**Galinda frowned when the green girl pulled away from her. Her heart sank with every second that passed. She didn't understand why Elphaba was acting so cold all of a sudden…. Did she do something wrong? It was just a dream, as Elphaba said. She didn't mean to react so terribly….**

**Her fingernails picked at the bed sheets; she could feel fresh tears well up in her blue eyes. Exhaustion and tension forbade her from keeping them held back. She could only piteously let them fall…. Galinda bit her lip. "I don't understand…," she whispered, more to herself than to Elphaba. She then looked up at the green girl; the tears flowed faster. "What did I do…?"**

Elphaba's head shot up at the teary sound of her roommate's voice. She looked into watery blue eyes before she could stop herself, her own brown ones full of concern she couldn't help but feel. She was surprised to see tears running in gentle streams down Galinda's pretty face.

"You didn't do anything," she replied softly, mentally reminding herself to keep her distance. Despite her full intention to follow her own advice, she tentatively continued. "Miss Galinda, what's wrong…?"

**The blonde sniffled, wincing slightly at the pain that registered in her ears. She was a little glad to see the concern that sparked in Elphaba's eyes, but the hurt returned when the green girl once again returned to her previous expressionless gaze. She bit her lip. "I don't get it," she rasped. "You were so nice to me a while ago…and now you're treating me like I'm the worst person in the world…."**

_**You **_**were**_** the worst person in the world….**_

"**I understand that I wasn't very nice to you in the beginning—I'm so sorry for that, Elphaba…. But you got to be so nice to me, and I want to know what I did now to make it stop. I don't **_**want **_**it to stop…." Galinda bit her lip harder. "I'm sorry, okay…? I didn't mean it…**_**whatever**_** I did…."**

The green girl looked down at her hands, blushing furiously now that she had been found out. She had only been trying to protect herself, but still… Galinda didn't deserve that kind of treatment. Maybe she had at one point, but this girl sitting across from her was someone wholly different. This was someone who deserved Elphaba's kindness, however little of it there was to give.

She played with her hands while she tried to figure out what to say; when the raven-haired girl finally _did_ speak, her voice was no more than a hesitant whisper.

"I just didn't want to make you uncomfortable… I mean, I understand you don't really want to associate with me…" Elphaba trailed off, looking out the window and biting her lip. Her words hung awkwardly in the air, and her grip on her own hands tightened. She felt she should say something more, but there was nothing she _could_ say. This - talking, that is - was _Galinda's _niche, certainly not hers.

**Galinda watched her green roommate as she played with her fingers, taking in every detail and wondering what she should do. Elphaba looked so upset, so flustered…. The blonde wanted to fix everything and make things better between them, but she didn't know **_**how**_**.**

**That is, until the green girl spoke.**

**With every word that was put out into the open--which wasn't very much--Galinda felt a piece of understanding appear and lock in place. And she started shaking her head slowly, wanting Elphaba to stop. Stop talking, stop hurting herself, stop looking so dejected because there was nothing to feel dejected about. "You…have it all wrong…." The blonde winced with each word she said; **_**she**_** was the one who needed to stop talking. Still, she looked into Elphaba's eyes, imploring her to understand. "It's nothing like that. Not anymore…. I **_**want**_** to associate with you--I want to get to know you…." She frowned. "I thought you knew that, Elphaba…."**

Slowly, Elphaba's hands stopped their movement, relaxing on her lap. She stared at them for a long time, letting silence dominate the room. She didn't know what to say, what to _think…_

Was this another trick of her roommate's? Was she lying, just to get the green girl to take care of her while there was no one else? It seemed viable, but there was something… something very strong in Galinda's voice that told her this wasn't true. Elphaba didn't know how, or why, or what to do… but Galinda was being honest. One look into the watery, pleading, sapphire eyes, and the green girl could feel it in her very soul. Finally, she spoke, her chocolate eyes returning to her own hands.

"No… no, I didn't know that. I mean, it would never occur to me that…" she let her voice fade, not knowing quite what to say, yet the gaze that met cerulean eyes pleaded with Galinda to understand.

"**It didn't occur to you that I would want to treat you as a friend rather than an enemy?" Galinda finished. She smiled softly at the green girl when their eyes met, a small thrill going through her at the sight of Elphaba's gaze. Slowly she reached out to touch her roommate's hand, hoping that she wouldn't pull away this time. "I didn't think it would happen, either. You're so **_**different**_**," she admitted. The blonde tilted her head slightly, her thumb running gently over Elphaba's skin. "But then…that's what got me interested. You're not like anyone else…. And I realize that I haven't been fair to you. I want to change that…."**

_**Yeah, like she'll believe that.**_

But foolishly, hopefully, Elphaba found that she _did_ believe that. She _wanted_ to believe that there was someone who could look past the green and into the girl… even though the person was all about appearances in the first place. Yes, Elphaba was green, green as sin, but in every bit of the heart she had managed to cultivate within herself, she had never believed she was _bad._ Everyone else had, but that had been the green talking, this hideous curse that covered her from head to foot…

So what if Galinda had been cold at the beginning? She certainly hadn't been the first to treat the raven-haired girl this way. And so what if she messed up again? It would hurt, but it wouldn't be anything Elphaba couldn't handle. She wouldn't be any worse off than she was now.

Comfort poured through her when Galinda's hand touched her own, and she couldn't help but focus her gaze where emerald met milky white. She gave the blonde a small smile while her other hand slid beneath the tray, setting it on the bed between them.

"Here," she repeated, softer this time.

**Galinda smiled softly at the green girl, her heart suddenly lifting. She squeezed Elphaba's hand gently. "Thank you," she said before putting the tray onto her lap. Almost immediately, all thoughts of the misunderstanding between them faded and left one thing behind: Hunger. The blonde licked her lips as her eyes devoured her meal before she could take a single bite. Even the soup looked appetizing. She glanced at Elphaba for a moment, as if asking permission to eat any of this. But then she realized how ridiculous that was--Elphaba had given it to her, hadn't she?**

_**First thing's first, though.**_

**Reluctantly she dipped the spoon in to the soup, bringing it to her lips. It smelled delicious, at least…. Wrinkling her nose at the taste--not enough chicken, way too much water of all things--she repeated the same actions over and over again until the bowl was at least half empty. Good enough…in her opinion.**

**Seeking a reprieve, she took the mug of hot cocoa and took delicate sips of it. Her eyes once again locked with Elphaba's. "I really do appreciate all that you're doing for me," she said--her voice thankfully felt a little better. She set the mug down. "Pfannee and Shenshen wouldn't dream of doing something like this. Too scared of catching a foul disease that would ruin their lives, however temporary it may be…." She paused. "The illness, not their lives," the blonde amended. "I'm sure they'll be very lasting…."**

_**Just shut up and eat.**_

Elphaba grinned a bit at the blonde's valiant attempt to down the soup, the awkward silence between them seeming a bit less… well, awkward. She even found herself laughing quietly while Galinda grumbled about her friends, shaking her head in mock-disbelief while she reached across the bed for the pill bottle on the nightstand.

"How unfortunate," she chuckled, tapping the bottom of the bottle until a large pill fell into her open palm. She set it down next to the half-empty bowl, laughter still dancing in her brown eyes.

"Their lives, not the illness."

**Galinda started to laugh with Elphaba, but that was until she saw Elphaba reach for the pill bottle. Her eyes remained locked on the green hands, watching as her roommate removed the lid and proceeded to shake out one of the antibiotics. The blonde frowned. The pill was an off-white color and was a pretty good size--big enough that could choke a person.**

_**Nice.**_

**The blonde looked back at the green girl, a delicate eyebrow arching upward to mimic Elphaba's trademark expression. "This is a pill for Horses," she stated simply.**

Elphaba looked down at the pill next to the bowl and sighed. "That's what I kept thinking," she muttered, then gestured to the mug in Galinda's hand.

"That helps. A lot," she assured the blonde with a small smile. "It's easier than it looks."

"**I'm sure that's what they all say…." Galinda giggled. "There was one time in Gillikin when our neighbor's son tried to give his cat some medicine. He tried everything--shoving it down her throat, blowing in her nose to get her to swallow it, wrapping it in a piece of meat…everything." She paused, then bit her lip. "Sorry," she murmured before grabbing the hot chocolate.**

Elphaba chuckled, wondering what on earth the rest of Shiz would do if ever they saw their favorite blonde bombshell like this. Beneath it all, Galinda actually seemed like a normal person. Thoughtful, funny… the green girl found it all almost charming.

"Don't tell me I'm going to have to blow in your nose," she joked, hoping her face wasn't turning that horrid dark green. As light as the conversation was, the thought of blowing in Galinda Upland's nose rather unnerved Elphaba.

**Galinda blushed furiously—or as much as she could beneath her slight fever—at the prospect of Elphaba, her own **_**roommate**_**, blowing on her nose. It wasn't exactly something that would normally be used to imply a sort of romantic interest, but then again, what she and Elphaba had right now concerning friendship wasn't exactly **_**normal**_**, so when looked at in the right light, it **_**could**_** be—**

_**What in Oz are you thinking, Galinda???**_

**The blonde's face flushed even darker. She refused to meet Elphaba's gaze, instead taking the pill into her mouth and washing it down with the hot chocolate. Tears welled in her eyes as the liquid scalded the back of her throat. Galinda, however, was thankful for this. It was better than thinking of Elphaba Thropp blowing on her nose, or blowing on anything else for that matter.**

_**It's the fever. Just the fever….**_

**Galinda cleared her throat, easing the tray a little bit away from her. Without glancing at Elphaba, she murmured, "I'm suddenly not very hungry anymore…. May I please go to sleep for the night?"**

Now, Elphaba _knew_ she was blushing. She turned away from her blonde roommate while her face went from grass green to pine, bringing the tray to the bedside table as an excuse not to look at Galinda. They were both trying, they _were…_ but conversation was still so… so awkward.

"Do you need anything?" she found herself asking softly, her voice barely above a whisper. Awkward or not, she didn't want the blonde to feel upset again. It wasn't her fault; the two of them just… clashed.

_Everything clashes with green._

Elphaba sighed, cleaning up the items on the tray to make it easier for the poor cafeteria staff downstairs.

"Some water? Perhaps a fresh nightgown?"

**Galinda's eyes widened. "Are you crazy?" she asked without a moment's thought. "You've been handling too much water today! You could get yourself hurt!"**

Elphaba laughed aloud, the implications of just how much Galinda knew sailing right over her head, and wondering how on earth her roommate thought she had been preparing and transporting cold compresses all day. In the blonde's defense, she had usually been either asleep or obscured by fever.

"I've been using your shower cap," the green girl confessed, blushing slightly.

"**Hmm…. Well, that was pretty clever, I suppose…." The blonde tilted her head slightly. "So those rumors were true? Water does hurt you?"**

Elphaba froze, her cocoa-colored eyes growing wide as understanding finally dawned.

_She knows…_

No one knew her secret. _No one._ Unless Nessarose had spilled… no, her own sister wouldn't put her in such mortal danger.

_How can she know…?_


	11. Don't Tell

_Thank you **so **much to everyone who keeps reading this despite the gaps between updates. Galinda and I hope you all had a good Christmas. :)_

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Elphaba swallowed thickly, her mind racing. What should she do? What _could _she do? Even if she could convince Galinda that it wasn't true, she could never convince all of the others. Crazy, farfetched rumors or not, this was too precarious. Besides, she realized with further horror, she had basically admitted to Galinda that she did have an allergy. Why else would she be using the blonde girl's shower cap?!

But how on earth would Galinda had even _thought_ that water would hurt her? Sure, Elphaba was sure the others had noticed she acted peculiarly when it rained and such, and that she avoided the drinking fountains, but that was _much _different than her darkest secret being spread around the whole of Shiz.

Either way, Galinda knew. That much was certain, so the green girl decided that lies were unnecessary. She had dug herself a deep enough grave already.

"How do you know…?" she whispered, her voice wavering while she gripped the bedside table to keep herself from giving in to the dizziness whitening her green flesh.

"**Well…." Galinda bit her lip. Elphaba looked upset…. Maybe she shouldn't have mentioned the rumors. She should have kept her big mouth shut. But then if she did that, then she would never get a confirmation about it, and thus her new friend's--acquaintance's--life would be in jeopardy….**

**The blonde cleared her throat. "I just heard it in passing…. From either Miss Shenshen or Miss Pfannee, of course…." She smiled softly at the green girl. "But I'm pretty sure that they were just coming up with things to use against you. Slander to make people dislike you even more…. You know, like that your father was an Imp and your mother was an Animal or something." Another pause. "They never said anything like that, just so you know. It was just an example…."**

The green girl barely heard a word out of Galinda's mouth after the mention of Misses Pfannee and Shenshen. Those blabbermouths had probably told _everyone_ by now. Someone would certainly try something soon… she would have to be on her guard.

Shakily, she pushed the tray aside. She would take it downstairs in the morning when she went for their breakfast. Her head seemed to spin, and she had to sit on the edge of her bed, trying to calm herself down.

"Will you require anything else, Miss Galinda…?" she asked unevenly.

**Galinda's eyes widened. She would have never imagined that Elphaba could look so **_**pale**_**. And she looked so frightened…. **_**I guess I shouldn't tell her about the one where she couldn't feel emotions,**_** the blonde thought. In fact, she was pretty sure that every rumor ever constructed was a lie just by looking at the green girl in front of her.**

**She got up from her bed--to hell with bed rest--and padded over to her roommate. A pale hand rested on Elphaba's emerald arm. "Elphaba…." The blonde frowned, her head tilting slightly so she could meet the green girl's gaze. "It's okay. They were just saying stuff. It's what people like them do. They say things with the sole intention of humiliating their victim, but they never actually **_**do**_** anything. It's not like them…." Galinda bit her lip. "I wouldn't let them do that even if they tried."**

_**Such strong words for someone you used to hate.**_

**The blonde banished these thoughts from her mind. However she felt in the past, she didn't feel them now. Elphaba was a person just like her. The rest of the world would learn how to deal with it.**

Elphaba's breath caught just slightly when her roommate's fingers touched her skin. The sound of Galinda's voice, for once, seemed to actually be soothing her nerves rather than grating on them. And the sincerity behind the words that came from her delicate lips was something that Elphaba had only experienced once before. Again, she felt incredibly lucky. She was certain no one else had seen her roommate in this way.

Elphaba cleared her throat softly, a small amount of color beginning to return to her jade complexion while her eyes again focused on the world around her. And when they did, Galinda was there, beautifully tousled, golden ringlets framing her face, her sparkling blue eyes barely dulled by illness… Elphaba really couldn't blame the rest of Shiz for falling in love with her.

"Thank you," she offered with a small smile.

She sat like that for a few moments, her eyes simply searching Galinda's, her gaze bouncing gently all over her face. She studied her roommate, not unkindly, before the city's clock interrupted the moment.

_One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight… nine._

"You should be in bed," the green girl advised, standing on feet that were much sturdier than they had been a moment ago. "I'll get you a new nightgown, if you like."

**Galinda frowned at the suggestion of going to bed. She wasn't even tired…. Yes, she had said that she wanted to get to bed, but that was to rid her mind of a few thoughts. A distraction. Not something to be taken literally….**

_**Then why am I yawning?**_

**The blonde nodded slowly, moving to sit on Elphaba's bed. "That sounds nice," she agreed despite her inner protest. She closed her eyes and yawned again. "It doesn't matter which one…." And with that, she allowed herself to lay down on the bed of her roommate, ready to be rendered unconscious in the next few minutes.**

Elphaba opened Galinda's wardrobe, all thoughts of her exposed secret vanishing while she returned her mindset to that of a nurse for the blonde whose room she shared. She pawed aimlessly through the multitudinous amount of nightgowns before selecting one, a light blue, cotton garment hemmed with lace. It oddly seemed to be the only choice among Galinda's fanciful nightdresses that appeared somewhat practical for a sick blonde.

She turned back around to see Galinda all but falling asleep on her bed, and couldn't keep her lips from twitching upward at the sight. Even with as many naps as she had taken, Elphaba could understand the blonde's exhaustion.

"Here," she suggested softly, "sit up. I'll help you."

**Galinda opened one of her eyes to look at Elphaba, then caught the light blue nightgown that rested in her arms. The blonde sighed softly and forced herself to sit up as her roommate asked. Her usual blush gone from her features, she grabbed at the fabric of her dress and weakly tugged at it. "It won't come off," she murmured, her eyes slipping closed again.**

Elphaba chuckled softly, laying the nightdress down and taking the smaller girl's hands in her own. Gently she pulled first one arm, then the other out of Galinda's current nightgown.

"Hold it here," she instructed quietly, pressing Galinda's hand to her chest to allow the girl her modesty. Slipping the blue garment from its hanger, she lowered it over Galinda's head and let the fabric fall around her body.

"All right, let go," she said, smiling at the blonde's endearing sleepiness. Imagine, her having to help Galinda Upland to dress. Wasn't this supposed to be the blonde's forte?

The green girl pulled Galinda's arms through the straps of the nightgown, helping her to step out of the one that was pooled at her feet.

"Okay, go on," Elphaba coaxed, giving her roommate a gentle nudge.

**The blonde nodded slowly to each of Elphaba's commands, letting her take control without struggle. A yawn escaped her once again. It was strange, but she supposed she **_**enjoyed**_** being treated like this by the green girl. It was nothing she would really take advantage of--Elphaba was more headstrong than others and thus should be respected….**

**Galinda sighed when she felt Elphaba nudge her. She didn't want to move. She just wanted to stay in her arms and sleep. Sleep sounded good…. The blonde yawned again and curled against her roommate's side, resting her head on a green shoulder. She smiled softly to herself at the softness beneath her cheek. Yes, she could definitely get used to this.**

The raven-haired girl took off her socks, preparing to get ready for bed herself when she felt a cozy warmth against her side, and a gentle weight resting on her shoulder. She turned to look, and her eyes widened at what she saw.

"Ga-" she began, but let the rest of her breath out with a small sigh. Her roommate was asleep, and she _did _look comfortable… besides, sleep was the most important thing if she was to get well.

Elphaba lay down slowly, letting Galinda's body follow her to the mattress. At first, her green body was rather stiff… she couldn't believe that the blonde had fallen asleep on _her _rather than her much softer, much _pinker_ bed…

She unconsciously began to relax while her mind searched for a reason. They _were _friends now; is this what friends did? The green girl supposed Galinda really did like her after all.

Yet before Elphaba's brain could find an explanation, sleep found Elphaba.


	12. Teacher's Pet

_This chapter, Chapter 12, has been available on LJ for a few days now. But was being ridiculous and not letting me upload here. -_- But finally, the idiocy has ceased, and now Chapter 12 is available for all our FF readers! Enjoy! :D_

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Two days passed before Galinda was deemed healed enough to go back to her classes. She had never been so thrilled to return to regular life. There were so many things to do! There was catching up with the latest gossip, talking to Fiyero about the Ozdust Ball that weekend, flaunting her quick recovery in front of her admirers--they all assumed it was her Gillikinese health that did the trick, and for some reason she couldn't bring herself to correct them--then there was making shopping plans and preparing for social gatherings...

**And homework. Lots of homework.**

**Galinda bit her lip as she stared at the stack of books and papers in front of her. She couldn't believe that she had to do so **_**much.**_** Biology, Ozian History, Sorcery, Calculus, Quoxian…and the subject that ruled her nightmares: Language Arts. Oh, how she **_**loathed**_** that course. She was never going to use those skills in her future. It wasn't like she was going to be second-in-command to the Wizard and have to make speeches almost every day….**

**She sighed. Oh well. Better get this over with.**

**The assignment sheet said that she had to choose between two topics.**

**Option one: "Define Unionism and the Pleasure Faith, and describe how their conflicts affect modern Oz." **

**Option two: "State your opinion on the matter of Animal Rights and elaborate on why you chose this opinion. Use at least five references and quote three politicians in favor of your side."**

_**Great. Might as well pack my bags and head for home.**_

A weary sigh escaped Elphaba's roommate, and her eyes halted on the page. Galinda had certainly brought home her share of make-up work, and the green girl couldn't help but feel a twinge of pity for the blonde. This wasn't her niche, just as society wasn't Elphaba's. She was certain that her roommate would be more comfortable making up _other _things, like her face, or her hair, or her nails…

In any case, there was no reason to prolong Galinda's torture. As much of a bookworm as Elphaba was, even _she _wouldn't have been happy with all that work.

"How's it coming?" she inquired over her shoulder, keeping her head cocked for her roommate's answer.

**Galinda turned her head to glare at her roommate. "Oh, I'm just **_**fine,**_**" she said. "I absolutely **_**enjoy**_** being put through so much stress all at once. It's especially a blast knowing that I'm going to **_**fail!" **_

**That statement alone was enough to bring tears to her eyes, but she refused to let Elphaba see them.**

The blonde's sudden outburst would have placed an amused smile upon the green lips, if it weren't for that bit about failing and the teary quality to Galinda's voice.

"Fail what?" Elphaba asked, concern surfacing as she turned in her chair to see her roommate atop her fluffy pink bed, surrounded by books and papers. The raven-haired girl bit her lip - Galinda really did have a lot on her hands.

**The blonde sniffled, wiping away the few tears that managed to slip down her cheeks against her will. Her blue eyes softened the moment they connected with her roommate's. Elphaba seemed to actually care about things such as academics and grades…. She was nothing like the others, who had their money to rely on to bribe the school when things got messy. She took her education seriously, much like Galinda did.**

_**But you're too concerned with fitting in to put effort into your classes.**_

**Galinda sighed sadly. She had earned her place in Shiz by going against tradition and what was expected of her. And now she was going back to the way she was and trying to impress everyone….**

**Her parents were **_**not**_** going to like this.**

"**I'm failing everything," she admitted at last. Her sapphire eyes hardened into diamonds as she glared at the stack of papers before her. "And now I have to write a **_**paper**_** on something I know nothing about!"**

Elphaba winced, leaving her chair to sit herself hesitantly at the foot of Galinda's bed. Her reading could wait; keeping herself ahead of the class wasn't as important as helping the blonde to catch up. Her gaze studied the numerous items on the blonde's bed, taking each of them into account before she spoke.

"All right," she said briskly, shifting a bit closer to see. "So this paper is the hardest thing, then? What are the requirements?" The green girl craned her long neck to see the paper that contained the criteria for the essay, her eyes skimming the text.

"**The first is just a compare-and-contrast thing," the blonde sniffled. She waved a dismissive hand toward the sheet. "The other one you need references for…." Galinda looked up at her roommate, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. "You must think I'm an idiot for not knowing how to do any of this. I mean, it's **_**writing….**_**"**

Elphaba shrugged, taking the paper and scrutinizing it. She replied absentmindedly, her eyes narrowing while they devoured the page.

"Not _everything _is _everyone's _gift," she murmured. "Sometimes writing is harder than it seems."

There was a moment of brief silence while the green girl finished reading; then she cleared her throat quietly and handed the sheet back to her blonde roommate.

"So, you have two choices. You can define both Unionism and the Pleasure Faith, and go on to state how their conflicts affect Oz today, or you can take a side on the Animal Rights debate and state why you chose that side. But with that one you have to have five references and quotes from three politicians. But then, I have all the stuff you would need here in the room…" She tilted her head, her pitch hair falling in an ebony waterfall over one shoulder while she awaited the blonde's decision.

**Galinda stared at her roommate in astonishment. Elphaba was **_**helping**_** her…? She knew that the green girl would be more sympathetic about it than her other friends, especially now that they had become closer over the past few days…. But to help her with an assignment?**

**While several people had been kind to the blonde in her life, never before had she felt so **_**happy**_** for it.**

**She shifted closer to her roommate, her eyes looking over the sheet once again. "I think," she said after a moment of silence, "I would like to try the one about the religious stuff."**

"Alright then," the green girl agreed without missing a beat. She rose momentarily to visit her desk, returning to sit beside Galinda with one of her notebooks and a pen. "If I had that much work on my hands, I think I'd pick that one too." She offered a small smile, then cleared her throat and tucked long, silky strands of hair behind her ear.

"Now," she continued, drawing a long line down the center of the paper and scrawling "Unionism" and "Pleasure Faith" on either side, "what do you know about Unionism and the Pleasure Faith, and how do you think they've affected us today?"

"**Umm…." Galinda blushed as she stared blankly at the paper in front of her. A small part of her felt the need to panic, but she reined it in as best as she could. Everything was going to be fine. Elphaba was going to save her. She twirled a strand of her own golden hair nervously, biting her lip. "Well…Unionism is centered on the Unnamed God…and is a religion full of heartless pricks? And the Pleasure Faith…." The blonde cringed. "It's an Animal cult, right?" **

Elphaba laughed aloud, scribbling the correct parts of the blonde's answers in either column. Though loud and obviously stemming from her roommate's thoughts on the two religions, the sound was good-natured and inviting.

"Okay, well you basically hit Unionism on the head," the green girl chuckled. "But I doubt the phrase "heartless pricks" is going to impress your professor. And as for the Pleasure Faith… it's not so much a cult as it is a free, fun, do-what-feels-good sort of thing. Kind of almost like a religion based on partying."

Dancing brown eyes met blue when the raven-haired girl looked up at Galinda, pen poised to record any more ideas that escaped those rosebud lips.

"It would probably also help if you mentioned the deity leading the Pleasure Faith. Do you know what it is?" she inquired.

**Galinda grinned. "That's easy! The deity in charge of the Pleasure Faith is the Clock of the Time Dragon!" The blonde giggled in delight, reveling in the feeling of actually knowing the answer to something. "My Popsicle used to tell stories about it all the time. The myths that surround it are amazing!" She turned to face her roommate, grinning widely. "Did you know that the Clock of the Time Dragon can accurately retell your entire life history? It's fascinating how a piece of machinery can do so much!"**

Scribbling furiously, the green girl managed a smile towards her roommate while she worked to copy her thoughts down. Nodding every so often as Galinda talked, she was learning as much as the blonde was - although what she was learning had nothing to do with religion. She wouldn't have been surprised if her roommate wasn't as dumb as she seemed, but the extent of her knowledge was rather astounding.

"I had heard rumors," she replied noncommittally to the smaller girl's question. "You seem to know more about it than I do, in fact," Elphaba confessed, offering something of an embarrassed smile. "Religion isn't quite my forte."

**The blonde blushed lightly at Elphaba's compliment, biting her lip as she smiled. She'd never been complimented on her intelligence before…not that she was aware that she **_**was**_** intelligent. She shifted a little closer to the green girl, her eyes shining brightly. "But you're smarter than anyone I've ever met," she said--she was surprised to find that her heart was in her words. "Religion should be simple for you."**

Now it was Elphaba's turn to blush, the slight concavity beneath her high cheekbones deepening to a pine color. She wrinkled her nose just a bit, the beginnings of a trait she had unknowingly picked up from the blonde at her side.

"Simple, perhaps," she agreed, tucking her hair again behind her ear while she continued to write. "But hardly worthwhile." She glanced at Galinda, her lips still curved gently upward.

"Those myths your father told you should be beneficial, and I suppose I can help with the Unionism, what with Father and Nessarose being such activists." Elphaba cleared her throat, handing Galinda the chart that was about a third full with her small, straight handwriting.

"Can you add anything else?" she prodded.

**Galinda frowned, twisting a lock of her hair around her finger as she thought. She bit her bottom lip gently. "So…Unionism is stricter, and the Pleasure-Faith is more relaxed…?" Her brow furrowed as she looked at the chart. "How would that affect modern day Oz?"**

**Her father never really went into the religious aspects of the Clock of the Time Dragon, nor anything else. He just used them as bedtime stories to tell his young daughter to fascinate and soothe her to sleep. Everything else would have to come from common sense.**

_**There **_**is **_**no common sense with religion….**_

**Sure there was. Common sense applied to everything…almost.**

**The blonde hummed softly to herself. "These two are polar opposites…and they're trying to convert everyone to their cause, right?" Chewing on her bottom lip, she continued to herself, "That would lead to a…religious war of sorts?"**

_**Wrong again.**_

**She shook her head. "I'm not good at this," she muttered to herself as she handed the chart back to Elphaba. "I might as well fail…."**

"No no no," Elphaba quickly cut her roommate off before she could finish the thought, taking the chart only to push it back towards Galinda. "A religious war is certainly one way to describe it," the green girl continued, offering her pen as well toward the blonde. "Why, I've heard stories of strict Unionist parents disowning a son or daughter for having too much of a Pleasure-Faith attitude. And Pleasure-Faithers that convert to Unionism are often laughed at by their old Pleasure-Faith friends, while the newborn Unionist finds those old friends filthy and reckless." She cleared her throat, shifting her weight gently on the mattress.

"My father frequented Pleasure-Faith festivities in hopes of winning new converts to Unionism, in fact. He used a sort of infiltration method; I would be surprised if that sort of thing wasn't popular. And Pleasure-Faithers that deliberately hold parties and gatherings at the same time as Unionist church ceremonies are certainly trying to compete with the Unionists for the people's attendance. A war is exactly what's happening, Miss Galinda." Elphaba smiled encouragingly at the smaller girl. She really was on the right track… she just needed a bit of a push.

**Galinda beamed at the tiny compliments hidden in Elphaba's voice. **_**She approves!**_** she thought happily, wiggling in her excitement. She had never been praised on the account of intelligence before. And **_**Elphaba**_** was the one to say that she was **_**correct…. **_**The blonde felt her heart leap in bliss. Never would she think of the green girl so horribly ever again.**

**She took the chart that was handed back to her, though her eyes remained on her roommate. "Okay, so it **_**is**_** a religious war," she said, her voice laced with joy and fascination. "And the Unionists infiltrate Pleasure-Faith gatherings…." She frowned. "Have the Pleasure-Faithists ever done that to the Unionists? I doubt it…. If they're so relaxed about life, they'd be stirred up by being attacked by bigots but they wouldn't strike back in **_**that**_** sense…. That would be a ridiculous idea." Galinda bit her lip. "Not that your father is a bigot or anything. I'm sure he's a very wonderful man--an excellent father, no doubt. I mean, look at the way he raised you! Intellect above society!"**

Elphaba raised an eyebrow at her blonde roommate, one corner of her mouth turning up in amusement. Of course, with Galinda's perfect, sheltered upbringing, she would assume that the green girl's father was a good one, but that didn't make the notion any less comical.

"_I _raised me, Miss Galinda," the raven-haired girl gently corrected, keeping her eyes on the chart in front of her while she continued to write. Smoothly, she left the subject of her father behind.

"Some Pleasure-Faithers _did_ strike back, in a sense," she mused to herself, tapping the end of the pen against her defined chin. "Sometimes a few of them would hang around the area near Unionist churches, just to show the churchgoing passers-by how much fun they were having. The older Unionists turned up their noses, but the younger ones couldn't help taking notice." Again, she tucked a lock of long, silk hair behind a green ear.

**Galinda stared at her green roommate, her blue eyes wide with curiosity. She watched as Elphaba said the words of knowledge and wisdom that were meant to aid her in writing the assigned essay…but the blonde couldn't register those words in her mind. Only a single phrase had stood out amongst all that was spoken, and they had absolutely nothing to do with the subject at hand.**

**I**_** raised me….**_

"**But," the blonde found herself blurting before she herself was aware of it, "how can that be? Your family…your education…." Galinda shook her head slowly, biting her lip as she tried to understand her own thoughts as well as Elphaba's declaration. "How could you be left to raise yourself? I mean, your family is one of the most renowned in Oz--its reputation is purer than any others! You could be given everything…and yet they abandoned you? Is that what you're saying…?"**

**Even with Elphaba being so **_**different**_**, even **_**she**_** didn't deserve that fate.**

The green girl sighed, lowering the chart to her lap to run slender fingers through her ebony hair. She had hoped the subject could be avoided, but if there was one thing she had known about the blonde before the first week was over, it was that she was terribly persistent.

"I wasn't exactly _abandoned,_ I don't think…" Elphaba's voice was quiet; she was suddenly very unsure. "They just… they didn't know what to do with me. My father was a meticulous Unionist, and I was a little green demon." She laughed softly, the sound wavering slightly while it left her throat. "I don't think _any _parents would have known what to do."

"**Well…it shouldn't matter," Galinda said indignantly. She drew her knees into her chest, linking her arms around them only to eventually settle on toying with the hem of her dress. The subject was delicate--she could tell by the tone of Elphaba's voice. But still, how else was she going to know more about the green girl if she didn't go into the topics that scraped away her pride and exposed her? "You were--**_**are**_**--their daughter. I would think that a man who preached about love and forgiveness would come to accept his own daughter. Not doing so would make him a fraud…. Don't you think?"**

**It was inconceivable how Elphaba's parents could turn on her just for the color of her skin…and it was even more upsetting knowing that the rest of the world subconsciously followed in their footsteps.**

The green girl listened quietly, gently picking at a loose thread in the bedspread while she thought about what Galinda was saying. The blonde was right - Elphaba's father was a fraud; a hypocrite, even.

She nodded slightly in tentative agreement, suddenly feeling very strange. Elphaba had never blamed herself for the color of her skin or her behavior as a child… no one could have controlled that. And yet before today, she had been the only one to think that way.

**Galinda bit her lip. Elphaba's silence was disturbing to say the least; she expected there to be some sort of emotion to be borne out of the subject of her father. Sadness, irritation, fury…anything but apathy and consent. Maybe she went too far? Maybe there was nothing left to say, or there **_**was**_** but it was deemed too personal and thus forbidden to speak out loud?**

**The blonde's fingers fidgeted with the thin lace of her dress's hem. She cleared her throat to break the silence--and hopefully the tension as well. "Umm…you'd love my father," she feebly began. Mentally she cursed herself, yet she continued. "He was always the intellectual one. He taught me how to think and reason, though I've forgotten most of that over the years…. My mother, I guess, was much like your father aside from the Unionist thing. She never approved of my father's methods of raising me. So when he died…well, she made me what I am now."**

**She looked up at her roommate, offering a small smile. "People assume that I'm the greatest person in Oz, and that you're the worst. How funny would it be if they found out that both Perfection and Evil never existed?"**

Elphaba could hardly believe her ears. Was this the same girl who gossiped and giggled with society matrons-to-be, the girl who flirted with royalty and caught his attention, the girl who was a princess herself in all but title? This elicited a slight, though surprised, smile from Elphaba. Had she stumbled upon the person behind the disguise, the Galinda kept so carefully hidden? It was enough to make the green girl wonder why such a mask was necessary.

"I suppose they _would _be rather surprised," the green girl nearly whispered, clearing her throat before glancing down to the sapphire eyes searching for her own.

"I'm… I'm sorry about your father, Miss Galinda."

**Galinda briefly looked away before returning her gaze back to Elphaba's. "There's no reason for you to apologize. It's not like **_**you**_** killed him," she answered.**

_**That was my mother's job.**_

"**Besides, it was in the past. I was a little girl, barely had enough time to get to know him…." She shrugged, though the familiar weight of sadness pressed against her heart. "How about your mother?" she asked after a moment of silence. "Did you know her well? Was she as horrible as your father? Or was she kinder?"**

Elphaba sighed, her fingers absently returning to the wayward thread in the comforter. She didn't know why she was telling the blonde all of this, and she was afraid to stop and ask herself for the answer. Stranger yet, her conscience was silent on the matter.

"My mother mainly ignored me… she left me for Nanny to take care of. I wish Father had shown me the same courtesy;" the green girl was almost baffled at the sour bitterness that colored her tone; "I'm sure it would have been more convenient for both of us."

"**By the sound of it, that would have been the best choice," Galinda agreed. She smiled to herself. "Your Nanny seems like a good enough person. Just the mention of her makes me think of everything pleasant in the world." She shifted closer to the green girl, her eyes alight with curiosity. "Was she nice to you? I hope she was. Everyone deserves at least a little bit of kindness, especially you."**

The pure, innocent interest in the blonde girl's eyes brought another smile to jade lips.

"She was," Elphaba whispered, letting her mind return to the few decent memories she had of a childhood in Quadling Country. "Of course, Nessarose needed more of her attention than I did, but she was always kind to me." The green girl tilted her head at her roommate, tucking her hair behind her ear yet again.

"She made life bearable, you know?"

"**Nessarose?" the blonde wondered out loud. She frowned; something about that name didn't sound right to her. "Is she your sister? Is she green, too?"**

The taller girl cackled aloud and glanced playfully at Galinda, one eyebrow raised in amusement and disbelief.

"You don't think you would have noticed if there were two of us?" she chuckled, shaking he head. "No, my sister is in a wheelchair. You didn't meet her at orientation, but she was there."

**Galinda's eyes widened. "**_**She's**_** your sister?" she asked incredulously. Vaguely she remembered seeing an odd girl in a wheelchair hanging around Boq and attending some of her classes. She frowned. "Funny… you look nothing alike. I mean, your eyes and jaw structure are the same… but nothing else."**

For some reason Elphaba blushed, smiling oddly down at her hands before looking back to her blonde roommate.

"Lucky Nessa, huh?" she chuckled softly.

"**Lucky? What do you mean?" Galinda inquired. "If you weren't green - or if these people weren't so small-minded - you'd be my rival! Young men would be lining up to court you!"**

**At this thought, the blonde felt her heart and stomach twist uncomfortably. It wasn't jealousy - she knew that much… Oh, what **_**was **_**it?!**

"**Besides, the majority of Shiz already envies you. Just a little bit of help, and no one will be able to resist you!"**

The green girl blushed even harder, floored by the thought of being considered competition to Miss Galinda Upland, of all people. She swallowed thickly, toying with a strand of her hair while her eyes finally came into focus on the essay - she had been staring at it, yet not seeing it, for the whole time.

"I'm afraid it would take more than just a little help, Miss Galinda," she replied, handing the paper back to the blonde. "Rather like your grades if we don't get to work."


End file.
